Vienna
by KatPeeta23
Summary: "You need to clean up your act and no matter what I say, you don't listen to me. You're brilliant honey. I don't know what to do, so you're moving in with Aunt Effie and Uncle Haymitch." Mrs. Everdeen is sending Katniss to live with her relatives in Malibu, but she changes her mind and gives Katniss the choice to stay or leave her friends and go home. What will she choose?
1. Chapter 1

I hate her, my Mother. She's so annoying. I hate the way she smiles and how she laughs and sings and listens to music. I hate that she treats me like I'm three when I'm going to be seventeen in three months.

That's less than a year.

She's always trying to make me happy. I even hate the way she says 'I love you.'"

She knows I hate her. I tell her all the time.

It makes her cry but whatever.

She's just so annoying. My little brother adores her. He's eight. My older brother loves her, too. He's a year older than me, being seventeen, and he got held back in seventh grade so we're in the same grade. His name is Reed, and my little brother's name is Kale.

"Katniss," Mom says as I walk in the door from surfing. I might have completely flunked every year in high school. I think it's so stupid. A percentage of a grade can't define me.

Just because I fail school doesn't mean I don't know anything. Honestly, everything I've ever heard from age two and on I remember because I have a photographic memory.

"What?" I snap.

She sighs. "You're moving in with Uncle Haymitch and Aunt Effie."

"I am?" I ask. I live in Florida right now, but Uncle Haymitch lives in Malibu, California in a beach house. Dad left a year after Kale was born.

"Yes. You aren't going to graduate high school. You need to clean up your act and no matter what I say, you don't listen to me. You're brilliant honey. I don't know what to do, so you're moving in with Aunt Effie and Uncle Haymitch."

"Okay."

Aunt Effie is Mom's sister.

"Am I going to school there?"

"Yes. I'll see you again at Graduation…_if_ you graduate."

"Not even for the holidays?" I demand.

"No. Now go and pack. You leave tomorrow."

"What do I pack?"

"Everything."

"Okay."

…a…

Should I be upset? I really don't think so.

Yeah, I should be.

Is it bad I don't care?

I grab the last thing I need and lug my stuff out in the car. My brothers are staying here. I was going to bring my surf board but Haymitch told her not to because he's just going to get me a new one. Surfing and music are my escapes. I haven't really been the same since Dad left, but I don't care about him.

He's a douche for leaving.

I toss my stuff in the back of the car and get in the seat behind the drivers because Reed took the passenger and Kale is behind Mom.

I plug in my ear buds and drift into my own world.

I don't listen to music most teenagers do. I completely lose myself in the lyrics of my favorite song, Vienna by Billy Joel, from my favorite movie, _13 Going on 30_.

I'm just going to close my eyes…

…..a…

"Katniss," Mom says. I sit up, confused and blinded by the Florida sun.

"What?" I groan and lay down in my seat with my head on my little brother's lap.

"Honey, you are going to miss your flight."

I force myself to get out of the car. I run my fingers through my hair.

"First things first." She says as she, Reed and Kale lead me through the airport. "I want your phone."

"Your taking my phone?" I ask.

"Yes." She puts her hand out.

I sigh and hand it to her.

"I'm not going to take your MP3 player because I know you need that to stay sane." She hands me my ticket. "If you want to call me, you use Haymitch or Effie's phone. From here on out, you listen to them, understood?"

"Whatever." I cross my arms.

I hate her.

We must have gotten here right on time.

"Last call for the flight to Malibu."

I huge my brother goodbye and take my stuff and walk away.

I don't say goodbye to my mother.

…..a…

"I hope you know this isn't a vacation." Aunt Effie warns. "We are taking over as your parents until you graduate. If you have to redo senior year, you'll stay with us again."

"And you'll want to go home in a weeks' time." Haymitch adds. "By the way, you aren't getting a new surf board until I see your GPA go up to a two and you have straight A's."

"And if that doesn't happen?" I ask.

"Then the board you have back home will be given away."

"What the hell am I supposed to do for the rest of the summer?"

My Aunt Effie smiles. "Work, of course!"

"Work?" I snap, slamming the car door. They get in.

"Yes, work. Now, I have a family friend with three sons, one of them is your age. You will be working there. We've given them permission to treat you like their own kid. Oh, and you can't quit. The closest you can get to being fired is not getting paid but still have to work."

"That's slavery!"

"Not if your legal guardians are the ones ordering it." Haymitch replies.

"This is ridiculous."

"Yeah?" Haymitch asks. "So is the fact that you think you are going to get hired if you fuck off in school. So is telling your mother you hate her when you don't. You'll learn your lesson Sweetheart, because one day, you are going to regret ever saying that shit to her."

"Okay." I say.

"You the way, you owe me ten dollars." Effie says.

"For what?" I demand.

"You owe me ten dollars every time you curse."

"Are you serious right now?" I ask.

"Yes." She says.

"Oh my god, I thought you guys were cool."

"Be good and we will be back to normal. Every time you do something good, you will be rewarded." Haymitch says. "Your first reward it your surf board. You can't get that until I see a report card at the end of the first marking period with your straight A's on it and your GPA at a two. If your GPA goes down I get rid of the board. Until then, don't ask for anything except for a ride to your job."

"What if I make enough money to buy my own surf board?"

"At this rate, with your mouth, you are already in debt. If you _were_ to earn enough money though, that's just too bad, because every single cent you make goes into a checking account towards your college education."

"You have _got_ to be kidding me."


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay guys maybe I will continue the sequel for You're Mine after I write this, but right now I'm going to do this. Do you understand? **

"Katniss, I'm sure you remember the Mellark's." Haymitch says. I stare at him with an annoyed expression. My arms are crossed, too.

I remember them. Well, I know the two older brothers. I know there's another brother that my age, but I've never met him because when I came to visit in the summers he was _always_ at summer camp.

Rye and Graham are pretty awesome though, and they're fun as hell to mess with.

"Young lady," Effie hisses.

"Yes, I remember them."

"Good." Haymitch says. "You won't meet Peeta until school starts because he's at-"

"Summer camp," I cut him off.

"Don't cut him off like that." Effie says.

I sigh in annoyance. They haven't opened the bakery for the day yet.

What I want to know is why the fuck they are awake.

This is so stupid.

"Okay, if you want to just come with us, we'll show you what to do. It's really quite simple, actually." Mrs. Mellark says.

I nod. "Kay."

"Manners!" Effie hisses, pointing at me before they leave.

"I'm warning you guys that I can't cook."

"Oh, everyone starts out not being able to cook. That's why you learn!"

"Um, okay." I say.

…..a…..

I sit on the balcony of my bedroom. It's sunset and Effie's making dinner. I sit with my knee's against my chest, watching the waves come and go, picking which one's would be best for surfing.

I'm going to miss Reed's eighteenth birthday.

I miss surfing so much, and it's only been a week.

The first marking period doesn't end till like, October! If I don't bring my grades up, I'll never get to surf!

I need to learn everything they're going to teach me at school before school even starts.

The year will begin with review which I can fly past, but if I don't know what's coming, I could mess up, and then what?

I get up and get my laptop and I boot it up and go online.

I go into Google and type _12__th__ grade math_.

And then I begin to study Trigonometry.

I get to the part where I'm just starting to understand when Effie knocks on my door.

"What?" I demand. She opens the door.

"It's time for dinner. Get off the computer."

"No."

"No?" she repeats. "Excuse me, what did you just say?"

"I said no. I'm studying."

"Bullshit." Haymitch walks into the room and snatches the laptop.

I watch their faces as they look at the screen.

They look genuinely shocked. I stare at them.

Finally, Haymitch sets the laptop back on my desk. "Come to dinner. You can study after you help clean up from dinner, get out of the shower, and after you call your mother and brothers."

"I'm not calling my Mom." I say.

"Yes you are." Haymitch says as they follow me down to the dining room.

"No. I hate her. She's annoying."

"You don't hate her." Effie snaps.

"Really? Since when do you know how I feel?" We sit down at the table.

"You know how I know?" She asks. "Because you re _exactly_ how I was when I was a teenager. I didn't care. I thought I was going to get everywhere in life because I was smart. I thought school didn't matter, but it does. It matters. I hated my mother. Every time she said she loved me and would hug me, I would tell her to F off. I told her I hated her every morning and every night! Then, one day, I woke up home alone with your Mother because my Mom was in a coma and they said she wasn't going to wake up! The last three words I said to her were 'I hate you,' and then her heart stopped with Lily and I in the room. The doctors restarted it. It was agony, Katniss. It was pure agony, and I snapped out of my senses. If I was so smart, why was I failing? If I cried when her heart stopped, why did I tell her I hate her?"

I stare at her.

"She asked you a question." Haymitch grumbles.

"Because you were so ahead of yourself, you'd forgotten what you needed." I mumble. "You were in so much of a rush to grow up, that you forgot what's going on around you."

She watches me closely. "Have you seen 13 Going On 30?"

"Yes. It's my favorite movie."

"And I'm assuming you know the song Vienna, by Billy Joel?"

"It's my favorite song."

"Well then why don't you listen to the lyrics? Because that song…goodness my dear, that song is something you need to listen to. You need to understand. Enjoy your life. Don't screw yourself over. One day, all those 'I hate you's," said to your mother, will be in your nightmares. One day, you may never get the chance to tell her you love her."

…..a…

"_Mom?" I scream through the forest, pushing past the vines and bushes. "Mommy? Mom? Mom, where are you?" _

_I can hear her crying for a moment or two, but then it stops. _

"_MOM? MOM PLEASE!" I scream. I break into a run and trip on something. I scramble to my feet and look back at what I tripped on. "Mom!" She's _

_She's laying there, motionless. I check for her pulse, but it's not there. _

_I sob, whimpering "Mommy? Mommy, I love you. I'm sorry. Mommy please come back, I love you."_

…a….

I sit up, gasping and crying.

It feels like I don't have enough oxygen and it feels like my lungs have been filled with cotton.

I get up and race downstairs, making so attempt to be quiet. I let my bedroom slam. Tears drip onto the floor. I hear footstep on the stairs. I flick on the kitchen light and grab the phone.

I need to hear her voice so I can make sure she's okay. Haymitch and Effie come rushing into the kitchen looking very confused. When Haymitch makes a grab for the phone, I bolt past them upstairs and out onto the balcony in my bedroom. I dial the house and sit down on the lawn chair.

"Sweetheart it's one in the morning. Who the hell are you calling?" Haymitch demands.

"My Mom, now go away."

"It's four AM there!" Effie says. "Let her sleep!"

"No! I need to talk to her! Please go away." I cry.

"Why are you crying?" Haymitch asks.

"We can interrogate her in the morning." Effie decides. "For now, we go back to bed."

They walk out. The phone gets to the last ring.

"Hello?" Reed mutters. I know I woke him up.

"Reed I need to talk to Mom."

"Katniss?" He asks. "Why are you crying?"

"Just go get Mom!"

"She's sleeping." He says. "You can talk to her in the morning."

I start sobbing. "Please!" I cry. "Go wake her up!"

"Okay, wow Kat, what happened? I thought you hated her."

"Go wake her up!" I'm starting to panic.

"Mom." He says. "Mom." I hear silence on the other line. "It's Katniss." More silence. "I don't know what she wants but she's crying he eyes out and she really needs to talk to you."

"Katniss?" Mom asks, and she sounds exhausted but alarmed.

"I'm sorry." I cry, lowering my voice so nobody can eavesdrop.

"Sorry for what?" She asks.

"I'm sorry for saying a hate you because I don't. I really do love you Mommy and I'm sorry for ever saying I hate you. I don't. I'm sorry. I don't hate you mommy. I love you so much."

"Oh honey," she whispers. "It's okay."

"No Mommy. It's not okay. Effie told me about how she was just like me. I don't want you to die. I'm sorry. I love you so much."

"It's okay. I love you too. I love you so much honey. That's why I send you off, so you could get better. I love you baby girl, I love you."

"I love you too Mommy. I'm going to try my hardest, okay?"

"Okay. Katniss, did you have a nightmare I died?"

"Yes." I whisper.

"Oh honey," she whispers. "Don't think like that. I'm okay, alright?"

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you too."

"Bye."

"Bye."

...8...

I gave up in studying because honestly, it's summer and I don't want to do that shit. I'm going to learn it this year anyways. School starts up in about a week.

I don't care, honestly. I do love Mom though.

Right now I need to focus on letting Mom know I love her and I need to focus on work.

When school comes, I guess we'll see what happens.

..&..

I get home from work and escape right to the bathroom and take a shower to wash off the flour, and then I change into clean clothes, braid my hair, go out to the balcony and watch the waves.

I almost start crying because I really miss surfing and I miss Reed and Kale and Mom.

Why am I such a fuck up?

I sit in silence for a long time until the balcony doors shut, and I jump and look over my shoulder. It's Haymitch. He sits down on the lawn chair across from me and watches the waves, too.

We don't say anything for a long time.

"You know, I used to surf all the time, every day. I would even sneak out at night. I loved surfing."

"Loved?" I ask.

"Yes."

"Why don't you still love it?"

"Because when I was your age, I was surfing with one of my girlfriends. She was my first everything. Love, too. Anyways, she and I were surfing and she fell off. She was screaming all the sudden. I thought she was drowning. I panicked and went to help her but the water around me turned red. A shark got her. It started to get me."

He shows me a scar on his arm that goes from his outer bicep to the middle of his inner forearm. "I got away. She didn't. Ever since then, I've been terrified."

We're both quiet for a long time.

I look him dead in the eye and say, "You aren't afraid of surfing, you're just afraid of sharks."

"No." He says.

"If I took you to an aquarium and paid for you to swim with sharks would you do it?"

"No."

"If I took you to Surf Style and paid for you to surf indoors away from sharks would you do it?"

He shuts his eyes. "Your right, after all these years...I don't care though. I'm still not surfing in the ocean. I'm afraid."

"Fear is nothing for than an obstacle that stands in the way of progress. In overcoming our fears we can move forward stronger and wiser within ourselves." That was a quote by someone called P. I memorized it.

"So you're saying I should start surfing again?" He asks, and then he stands up.

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

"I don't understand."

"What?" I look back at him.

"You're so damn smart, but you're so damn stupid at the same time. I wish you would open your eyes and grow up."

I'm about to reply but he puts his hand up, shakes his head, and walks away.

I remain where I am.

I'm not stupid at all, and he's a dick for saying that.

Also, I don't need to grow up.

He needs to fuck off.

He's wrong!

**Guys this story is Grow Up, but I just changed the name.**


	3. Chapter 3

**In chapter one Katniss said she was going to be seventeen in ten months, but I changed it so she's going to be seventeen in three months. Her birthday is now September 9****th****.**

School starts today.

"Listen up." Haymitch says as I eat my breakfast. "You better not fuck around. You want to surf again? Fucking prove it. You're brilliant. By the way, we're going to search your bag for tests. If you throw them away at school we will check online."

"Okay."

"Okay, now let's go."

I follow him to the car.

"Do you have your driver's license yet?"

"Yeah."

"Good, you're driving. I'm coming with you but you're still driving."

"Okay."

I get in the drivers and he gets in the passenger and I follow his directions to school.

It's cool. The left side has a giant photo of their Mascot, the Sharks.

Today, I'm wearing a pair of short blue jean shorts and a pink and purple flowered shirt that's tucked in, and I have on sandals. My bag is a white shoulder bag, that way it can go with everything and if gets dirty it can be bleached.

"Have a good day. Remember surfing." He gets out and gets in the driver's seat.

"Yeah, yeah," I reply.

He looks frustrated as I walk away.

People stare at him and I resist the urge to glare. The first bell has already rung, so I go to the office and get my schedule.

My first period is stupid math, because I fucked around so much that I failed math.

This is ridiculous.

I don't need these classes! I know how to do all of this!

I'm too busy mentally complaining that I'm not looking where I'm going and I run right into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention, I-"

"Well you are just beautiful now aren't you?"

My eyes snap up to the guys sea green eyes. He runs his fingers through his bronze hair.

He's one of the jocks. I can tell by the way all the girls are glaring at me.

I cross my arms. "What?"

"I said your beautiful." He smiles. He's holding hands with a girl with long red hair and eyes that match his, and then he has another girl at his right with short dark hair and dark brown eyes. She's sizing me up.

Then, next to the girl that he's holding hands with, there is this guy with blue eyes the color of the ocean and the sky mixed. He's very, very familiar, especially his blond wavy hair.

I scowl at the guy that's hitting on me. "Yeah, I'm not interested."

The girl with the short dark hair lets out the loudest cackle.

"Fuck, I like you. What's your name?"

"Katniss."

"Everdeen?" the boy with blue eyes asks.

I look at him and narrow my eyes. "Yes."

"I'm Peeta Mellark." He says.

"Oh, that's where I know you from." He nods.

"You two know each other?" the girl with short hair asks.

"We know _of_ each other." Peeta says.

"Well I'm Johanna Mason." The girl says. "It's not often someone turns Finnick Odair down."

"Yeah, well I think it's disgusting that's he's holding hands with another girl while he hits on me."

"So if I wasn't holding hands with her you would want me?" he asks.

I scoff. "Not in your wettest dreams." I push past him and walk off to class.

I walk into the math class and sit down all the way in the back. Honestly, my eyes are shit but I forgot my contacts.

I am _not_ putting on glasses.

Johanna Mason walks into the room and drops down next to me.

"So I hear you hate school." She says.

"School is pointless. A number can't define me."

"I agree, but my parents took away my freedom till I shape up, so I'm going to have to try this year."

"Yeah, my Mom sent me to live here, and she has my phone back home in Florida."

"Is that your freedom?" she asks. "Your phone?"

"No, surfing is my freedom but my board's at home and my uncle won't buy me a new one till I get straight A's and raise my GPA to a two at least.

"Well that's fucked up." She says.

"Agreed."

The teacher starts talking about what we are going to learn this year, and Johanna starts taking notes. I simply pay attention to let lesson. Every now and then, Johanna will see if I'm doing anything, and she'll shake her head and smirk.

The only reason I failed tests and exams last year was because I guessed on everything without reading the questions.

They pass out the papers we have to get signed by the parents and then I put them in the folder I labeled _Math for dummies_

Johanna laughs under her breath when she sees the name. I smirk and shut the folder and put it in my bag.

The bell rings, and I walk to my next class, and to my surprise, Johanna follows me.

"Let me see your schedule." She says as we sit down. I had it to her and she compares the two.

"We have every class together."

"Awesome." I say as I sit down.

Again, Johanna takes notes and I jut force myself to listen.

And it happens again in third period.

And then in fourth.

"We have lunch." She says. "You can sit with Peeta, Annie and Finnick and I."

"Annie is Finnick's girlfriend?"

"Yeah." She says.

"He seems like a dick."

She smirks. "You have to understand him before you judge him."

We walk into the lunchroom together. She takes me to a table. "Guys, she's sitting with us." She says. Finnick Odair doesn't even look at me, but everyone else looks happy. We go through the line, and then we sit down.

"Any talents?" Finnick asks me.

"Talents?" I repeat.

"Yes, what do you like to do?"

"I surf." Everyone raises their eyebrows.

"Are you good?" Annie asks.

"Well, when I was eight, my Dad left, and I started surfing with my older brother right after that, so…yeah, because I've been surfing since then."

"Wow." Finnick says. "Have you always lived here?"

"No, I grew up in Florida."

"Oh, nice." He says.

…..a…

"Stop." Haymitch says. "Back up."

"What do you want?" I demand.

"Your backpack."

I hand it to him. "You uys have a ton of papers to sign."

"Did you pay attention today?"

"Yes."

"What did you learn?" Effie asks.

"I learnt that I have every class with Johanna Mason, who is best friends with Peeta Mellark and then I learned that my math teacher has eight cats and she isn't married. The names of cats where Melly, Shelly, Kelly, Belly, Relly, Pelly, Helley, Jelly."

"Someone needs to get her a boyfriend." Effie says, and we all laugh.

"Oh, this is yours." Haymitch puts a box in my hands. "It's from your mother and brothers."

"You guys opened it?" I ask.

"Yes, because there was something in there that we needed to take."

"Okay…" I open the box as they go through my bag for anything I could have hidden.

I grab the card first, a birthday card, because it's my seventeenth birthday in two weeks.

_Hey honey, so, I know it's early for you to get this but I wanted to make sure it got there in time for your birthday. I didn't really know what to get you. Honestly, I got you a new surfboard and it's here. Once you bring your grades up I'm going to mail it. Anyways, for now, I got you an anklet because I know you love wearing them. _

_Love you. _

_Mom, Kale and Reed._

_P.S. A few days ago I ran into someone on the beach, a surfer you really look up to. Her name was, well, it was Carissa Moore._

She met Carissa Moore? She's such a great surfer. I go digging through the box and find another paper. It's a photo of Mom, Reed _and_ Kale with Carissa Moore, and then another photo of a brand new surfboard _signed_ by Carissa Moore.

Holy shit.

I put on the anklet, which has blue beads and then run upstairs to my bedroom and out to the balcony.

I watch the surfers.

I really want to go to the beach.

I wonder if I beg hard enough will they let me go?

I watch the surfers and the waves and breathe and the smell of the ocean, and then I put in my contacts and go downstairs.

"Can I go to the beach?" I ask.

"No." Haymitch says.

"Why not? I worked hard at the bakery. You _said_ every time I do something good I get a reward." I cross my arms.

He looks at Effie. "What do you think about this?"

"I mean…we did agree, Lillian too, that she gets a reward…one day at the beach won't kill her." Effie says.

"Fine," Haymitch says. "Be back before dinner, which is at seven thirty."

"Awesome!" I run upstairs and change into my blue swimsuit and go downstairs and out the backdoor. I walk the hundred feet down the boardwalk that leads to the beach.

I can't surf, but I really just adore the ocean, so I walk over to the water and let it lap at me as I take my hair out of the braid and let it flow with the sea breeze. I put my black hair tie on my wrist and walk for a while, until I'm far enough away that I can't see my Aunt and Uncle's house.

Someone walks right in front of me with a surfboard and stops.

"Kitty."

I raise my eyebrows. Finnick, and Annie, and Johanna, and Peeta.

"Finn."

We stare at each other for a long time, and he hands me his surfboard. "Let's see this."

"No." I hand it back.

"Why?"

"Because I'm in so much trouble right now and if Haymitch and Effie find out I've been surfing they'll skin me alive."

"That's why they aren't going to find out."

"Yes they will find out. They probably followed me here."

"Actually, they didn't." Peeta says. "They went to my house after you left. When we left the baery, they were walking in."

The bakery is a couple miles south from here.

"They're not going to find out."

I eye the surfboard.

It's been so long…

But my new signed one…

"I can't." I insist.

"Katniss," Finnick groans.

"No. My Mom got me a brand new board for my birthday and it's signed by Carissa Moore. I can't wait a whole year to get it."

"But they won't find out!" Johanna insists.

"Haymitch has eyes all over the place."

"Well at least go swimming with us." Peeta reasons.

"Fine."

…..a…

Johanna ran into her boyfriend, who goes to another school, so they're in the water together, and then Finnick and Annie are in the water together, and Peeta and I are just sitting on the beach watching the sunset.

"Is there any chance you have the time?" I ask.

He looks down at his watch. "It's six thirty."

"Thanks." I say.

We sit in silence for a long time. "That's my favorite color." He points at the orange in the sky. "it's so beautiful and natural. I love it." His voice is so soft and gentle, and it makes me get goose bumps all over.

"It's pretty." I whisper gently.

He nods, agreeing. We're silent for a couple minutes again, and then he asks, "Has anyone ever told you you're beautiful?"

I look at him in shock, and then numbly, I shake my head. "Not a boy. My family, sure, but…not a boy."

"Well, you are. You are like…like that." He points to the sunset.

"Oh, that's a little bit…exaggerated."

"No." he shakes his head. "If you held up eleven roses in the mirror, you would be looking at the twelve most beautiful things in the world."

**Guys I'm getting those offline because I'm not that creative. It's coming from this site: most-romantic-things-to-say-to-her/**


	4. Chapter 4

There are some cons to having a photographic mind. Sometimes, when things happen, they will keep you up all night because you remember every little detail.

Like the sparkle in Peeta' eyes when he said that if I held eleven roses in the mirror I would be looking at the twelve most beautiful things in the world.

It's only ten thirty but I went to bed right after my shower at eight, and now all I can do is stare at the ceiling.

I just met him yesterday and already he's so charming.

I need to talk about this to someone who can help me.

I throw the blankets off of my body and go downstairs. They're both still awake.

"You should be in bed." Haymitch shuts the TV off when he sees the look in my eyes. "What's wrong."

"Someone said something to me today that's really bothering me and its keeping me awake."

"Who was it?" Effie asks.

"Peeta Mellark."

"Oh, that boy has a way with words. He's got a charm. What'd he say to you? Sit down." Haymitch says.

"He told me I was as beautiful as the sunset and then I told him that was exaggerated and then he said that if I help up eleven roses in the mirror I would be looking at the twelve most beautiful things in the world."

Effie's mouth drops open. "Oh my!"

"I'm going to bed." Haymitch gets up and walks away, grumbling about females and romance and how its shit.

"What did you say to him?" Effie demands.

"I just whispered 'thank you' and then I was blushing so bad that I told him I had to leave…and then I left."

"You just left?" she bursts. "No. I'm taking you over there right now to apologize."

"No! Effie! I'll apologize tomorrow, I swear!"

She crosses her arms. "Fine, but I hope you guys date. He is such a good kid."

…..a…...

I pay attention all day today, and then lunch comes. I told Johanna why I left tonight and she said that she thought Peeta had a thing to me before we even met because Rye and Graham were talking about me, and his parents, and my Aunt and Uncle, and he saw pictures.

Johanna casually takes the seat across from Finnick so I'm across from Peeta.

I'm a failure with words, so I get out a piece of paper and write, with it angled so nobody can see it, _I'm sorry for just leaving last night…I'm not very good at feelings for anything…_

I slide the paper to him and I see him glance at me and then he reads the paper. His eyebrows knit together and he gets a pen from his bag.

_I wasn't expecting anything…_

I write him back.

_I know I just…all I really said was thank you…_

He smirks.

_What'd you think I wanted you to say? _

_I don't know…_

_Don't worry about it, Katniss, really. You are beautiful though. Even a blind man can see it._

….a….

I finish my homework on the balcony. Effie comes walking out. "You have company. And we have three other people coming to stay with us and they're here, so after you finish with your…company…you need to come downstairs." She says.

"Company?" I repeat. I started school a month ago and the chemistry between Peeta and I is so strong. My grades are perfect and my GPA is one point away from a two.

I have a huge test in math tomorrow. My birthday passed.

"Yes. I'll send the person up." I see an unknown sparkle in her eyes. She walks away. I shut my science book, prop my feet up on the railing and begin to study for math.

To my surprise, Peeta shuts the balcony door and sits down on the empty chair.

"Hi." He says.

"What brings you to prison?" I ask, shutting my textbook and giving up, because I already know everything I need for that test tomorrow.

It's four in the afternoon.

"You." He says, and I blush, and he smiles. "What are you doing for Halloween?"

"I am not doing anything."

Honestly, I'm not very happy right now, and about twenty minutes ago, I was crying.

I was crying because I miss surfing.

I was crying because I miss my family.

I'm about to start crying again, so I look off in the distance because I _really_ don't want to cry in front of Peeta.

Of course he sees something's wrong though. "What's wrong?"

I shake my head and hide my face by pulling my knees to my chest. He moves everything to my bed in my room and comes back and sits down on my chair. "Are you crying?"

I nod without moving."

"Why?"

"I miss home. I miss my brothers and my Mom. I miss surfing. I miss _my_ bedroom with my own bed and my own scent. I miss my dog Riley. I won't get to go back there until after graduation, _if_ I graduate. I won't even see them for the holidays."

"Well, use all of those things as your motivation to graduate."

"What if I don't graduate? What happens then?"

Slowly, he pulls me into his lap. "You will graduate. I'll make sure of it."

I look up at him and he brushes tears out of my eyes.

"I love your eyes." He whispers.

Suddenly, I am very conscious of how close we are to one another.

His eyes are even more beautiful up close. It looks like I'm underwater in a spring, only they're a darker shade of blue and they're streaked with a very light blue.

"I love your eyes." I whisper, placing my hand on his cheek.

I feel like we're being watched.

"I want to kiss you." He murmurs.

"So do it."

He seems to hesitate, but then he closes the distance between us.

I think someone gasps behind us, and then I think I hear footsteps, but I ignore it.

It hardly lasts a second, because then I hear, "MOM KATNISS IS KISSING A BOY!"

"Fuck." I move off of his lap.

"Who's that?"

"I think it's my little brother."

"Your brother?" he asks.

"Wait…my brother?"

"Your brother." He smiles.

"That means they're here."

_You have company. And we have three other people coming to stay with us and they're here, so after you finish with your…company…you need to come downstairs._

The three other people are Mom, Kale and Reed.

They're here.

"Fuck, Peeta."

"What?"

"My brother is going to start questioning you."

He shrugs. "I'll be nice to him on one condition."

"Which is?"

"You be my girlfriend."

I smile. "Okay."

"Okay." He stands up and so do I.

Mom is going to ask me if I'm still a virgin. I bet that will be the first thing out of her mouth. I make sure I'm dressed appropriately. I'm wearing blue jean shorts and a red tank top. My hair is down, and you can definitely tell I was crying.

"Well someone has to go up there." Mom says.

"I'll do it." Reed says.

I go downstairs with Peeta right behind me before he can, and everyone silences.

"Before you even ask, we didn't have sex."

"You've been crying." Mom says, and I shrug.

"Are you guys, like, official?" Reed asks.

The blush the covers my face is the only answer that he needs.

"Oh my baby!" Mom gushes. "Your first boyfriend! Oh, this is adorable, oh my goodness, this is just so cute!"

"Mom." I whisper as Peeta fights a laugh next to me.

"What? You are my only daughter. I can fangirl over you all I want."

"Mom please don't use daughter and fangirl in the same sentence."

She laughs lightly. "What's your name?"

"Um, Peeta Mellark."

Mom looks at Haymitch and Effie. "Mellark? You're a Mellark? Ooh my goodness, this gets better every second! Last time I saw you, you were Kale's age!"

"So we've met before?" I ask.

"Yes." Mom says. "Don't you remember honey? You went to the bakery for the day and you had a water balloon fight. Remember you hit one of the boys in the eye with one of the balloons and made him cry?"

"What! I thought that was Rye!" Peeta looks just as shocked as I feel.

"No, that was Peeta! He had to go to the hospital."

"I remember. Gosh, that hurt." He says.

"I don't remember that." Haymitch says.

"Me either."

"Oh, that's because you and Effie were at work."

"And the little toddler was Kale, right, and the kid older than Katniss and I was Reed?"

"Fuck, I remember that." Reed says.

"I should…go." Peeta says.

"Oh, nonsense! Just stay the night!"

"Um, it's a weekday… don't know if my parents will allow that."

"I'll call them. I think you want to stay anyways, and if you're lucky, you might be allowed to skip school tomorrow like how Katniss is going to."

"I am?" I ask stupidly.

"Yes." Mom says. Effie pulls out her phone and we all wait.

"Renee?" she asks. "Oh yes, Peeta got here safely, listen," she walks into the other room.

"Oh, give me a hug honey." Mom says. I hug her, and then Effie walks in the room. "Did you walk here?"

"Yes." He says.

"Well I'm going to give you a ride home to get your stuff."

"Well I can do it. I kind of want to see Rye and Graham again." Reed says.

"Well I'm coming." I say.

"Fair enough."

"Oh and you are not going to school tomorrow."

….a…..

"Katniss, you are getting closer to Vienna." Mom says after dinner.

"What?" I ask stupidly.

"It's your song. Your slowing down."

"And that's good?"

"Honey, that's wonderful." She says.

"You know your GPA is a 2.3?" Haymitch asks. "And you have straight A's."

"I thought it was a 1.9…"

"Nope." He says.

I don't ask about surfing because I want to know why my Mom and brothers are here.

"Why are you guys here? Something's wrong. I can see it in your eyes."

Mom sighs. "Well, your father showed up."

My hands clench into fists.

"And…he was just pure anger and he took over the house and everything, so we went to the government and he just isn't…he's not letting up and the government can't do anything till we're divorced, only he won't sign the papers."

"So…"

"So we're staying here until we figure out a solution."

I cross my arms. "I hate him."

"Ditto." Everyone in the room says, but Peeta, who just stays quiet.

"Why am I, are we, ditching school tomorrow?" I ask quietly.

"Well, you've stopped screwing off." She says. "You get a reward for straight A's, and you get another reward for raising your GPA. For your GPA, you get to surf."

I sit up, excited, and she laughs. "For straight A's, and some relief on the family, we're taking you guys to Disney tomorrow."

"Disney?" Kale asks. "Cool!"

"Can I go surf?" I plead. We had an early dinner and it's only just now sunset.

"Yeah, let's go to the beach." She says.

….a….

After everyone insisted, Peeta invited Finnick and Johanna and Annie.

I've been fangirling about how Cassie Moore signed my board since we got to the beach.

"Kitty." Finn says. "Let's see what you've got. Let's race. Whoever rides the best wave and doesn't fall wins."

"We need a judge, someone who won't pick favorites."

Everyone looks at Johanna. She cracks her neck and back elbows and fingers and stands up.

"I'm judge."

"No hard feelings when you lose, alright?" Finn asks. I smirk.

"Good luck, Odair."

We walk out into the water and get on our stomachs on our boards.

We are about ten feet apart.

"Finn, that one." I point. It's going to be one we can ride all the way through the water in.

"Ready," Johanna shouts. People on the beach are gathering. "Set," I shut my eyes for a moment, "Go!"

I start paddling and so does Finn.

He stands up before I do, but my secret is to stand up when I'm a foot from the wave.

When I get to that point, I stand up.

It's hard to beat Finnick Odair, because it's clear he's had practice. I can hear everyone on the beach screaming one of our names.

I lose myself, and it's just me and the board, and I'm not with Finn. I ride under the wave so I'm surrounded around water. I think Finnick goes down and I don't hear anyone on the beach anymore, but they sound confused and panicked.

When I come riding out of the wave though, everyone is screaming bloody murder. Finn is back on the shore with a sour expression on his face.

I ride the little waves back to the shore.

"Want to challenge me again, Odair?"

"Fuck off Everdeen." He says.


	5. Chapter 5

**Alright guys, listen up. **

**I've been really ill lately and I've only been at school one day this week and I'm **_**still**_** ill. I don't know what to do with this story or where it is going. **

**So I need you guys to vote by review or PM or even through Instagram or twitter or kik. **

**My Instagram is **_**katjopeetafinnthg**_

**My kik is **_**lovethgtrilogy22**_

**My twitter is **_** JenniferJosh22**_

**It's either I continue this story, or I continue the You're Mine Sequel. **

**I'm sorry that I have to do this.**

**If you want this story, just put "Vienna" and if you want You're Mine Sequel you can just put "You're Mine"**

**I am counting. **


	6. Chapter 6

I am being woken gently by someone.

"Mmm?" I roll over and roll right into someone with my face in their lap.

"Katniss." Peeta whispers. I sit up and squint at him through the darkness.

"What?"

"Let's sneak out."

I am all about doing what I please. "And go where?"

"It's this place on the beach. I really want to show it to you."

"Okay." I whisper. I get up and stretch, and even from here, I can see all the blood rush to his cheeks.

"Katniss." He mutters. His voice sounds deep and it sounds like he's in a half moan.

And then I remember I went to bed in only my underwear. I forgot to put a shirt on because I was tired.

I look down at my bare chest and then I look at him, and then my chest, and then I cross my arms over my breasts. "Shhh! Dammit, you can't tell anyone!"

He starts shaking his head like crazy. He can't seem to drag his eyes away from me. "Fucking shit Peeta, get out!"

He starts whispering frantic apologies. I hurriedly pull on she jean shorts, a bra, and a tank top and then flip flops and walk out of my room.

He leads me downstairs and out the back door.

We're completely silent until we hit the beach and then he starts apologizing.

"Katniss, I can't tell you how sorry I am. I completely invaded your privacy and I don't even deserve to be forgiven. I shouldn't have woken you up in the first place and I didn't mean to stare it's just that...I'm a teenage boy and..."

"It's okay, Peeta. I should have put some clothes on tonight. I knew you were here and I know better than that. It's okay. It's over with."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes.

"And where do you think you two are going?" Mom asks behind me. I look into Peeta eyes with a fearful expression and then around. She's in a pair of pajama pants and a loose shirt, her hair and down and she looks beautiful. My mother is beautiful. The sea breeze blows her wavy blond hair around. She's mad. "Let's go. Inside, now. Both of you."

Peeta doesn't hesitate.

Mom waits until he's in the house to start taking me in. "Where were you going?" She asks.

"He said he wanted to show me something.

"Yes, his penis!"

"Mom!"

"No, Katniss. You are just barely seventeen. You just started dating him today. I don't want you chancing sex yet. No more sneaking out. Stop trying to grow up so soon!"

"I'm not trying to grow up! Dammit mother! I can't stand when you baby me! I'm seventeen! I hate you!"

I storm inside, past everyone who is now awake and go up to my bedroom and slam the door and kick it out of anger and then I change into my PJ's and fall asleep.

...9...

"MOM YOU NEED TO PADDLE TOWARDS SHORE!" I scream, panicked. I see her struggling on the surf board an then she lets out a bloodcurdling scream and then the water around her turns red. "MOMMY?" I scream, crying now "MOM!"

She isn't answering me.

I fall into the sand and sob.

She's dead.

She's dead and I never even got to tell her I loved her.

...9...

I sit up, my t-shirt clinging to me. It's only four in the morning now. I scramble up, crying, gasping, and sweating, the sheets sticking to me and trip me so I fall.

I get up and rush out of my bedroom and down to the guest room. Kale is asleep next to Mom.

I pick him up and he wakes. "Katniss what are you doing?"

"Go and sleep in my room, I want Mom." I carry him to my room and lay him down in my bed.

He's so out of it that he just falls back asleep. I go back into Mom's room and shut the door and climb into bed with her. She wakes up.

"Katniss, what are you doing?"

"I'm sleeping in here. I'm sorry for saying I hate you because I don't Mommy I love you."

She tiredly reaches up and dries my tears. "Don't cry. It's okay. Where's Kale?"

"He's in my room."

"Okay." She says.

I lay down next to her and fall asleep holding her hand.

...7...

"Guys." Mom says. She gets up and turns on the light. I let out a loud moan.

"Mom shut it off." Reed groans. I look at my feet and see he's taken the other half of the bed, and then Kale is in the middle using my arm as a pillow.

"Why are they all in here?" Effie asks in the doorway, and you can hear a laugh in her voice.

"Reed was uncomfortable on the couch, Katniss couldn't sleep and then she moved Kale to her room

And the moon was too bright so he came back."

"And you guys slept like this since four?" I hear her take a picture.

"Yes." Mom says. I use my free arm to cover my eyes. I'm almost asleep when Mom says, "If you don't want to go to disney you can stay in bed."

The weight of Kale's head on my arm disappears, and Reed moves to Mom's side of the bed.

"If you guys want to go to Cracker Barrel you would get up."

Reed walks out of the room and I pull the blankets over my head.

"If you don't want me to drop Peeta off at home, you better get up."

I groan and roll over, completely covering myself like a burrito with her blankets, and then I get up and trudge to my room with everyone laughing at me.

...8...

When I go downstairs after my shower, everyone looks upset and angry.

"What?" I ask, expecting the worst.

Mom doesn't need to say it.

"We're not going."

She sighs. "We can't."

"Why not?"

She inclines her head to the kitchen.

I look, and I feel heat of pure fury boiling in the pit of my stomach.

Why is my father here?

"I've heard your fucking around in school."

"Why the hell is he here?" I demand.

"Young lady," Effie sighs.

"Last I checked, I'm your father." He says.

Reed told me that he didn't even speak to Dad.

That's because everyone is afraid of him.

Well, I'm not.

"Father? You call yourself my father?" I snort. "You left us for your whore, and then you come waltzing back into our lives like your wanted! What the fuck is wrong with you!"

"Whore? She's not a whore! I love her!"

"I don't give a fuck who you love! You aren't wanted here! If you love your plastic bitch, why are you here bothering us? Get out of our lives! Signed the fucking divorce papers, get out of our house in Florida and never fucking come back! We don't want you here!"

I pissed him off real bad, and I think everyone is just surprised that I'm saying these things because I'm not very open about my feelings. He looks like he wants to kill me.

"Go! Get out of this house! Leave and never come back!" He shouts.

And I listen. I run to the garage and grab my bike and my surf board, and I go.

It takes me two hours and forty minutes. I go to Huntington Beach and dump my bike in the sand.

I hope they don't expect to see me again for a while.

**Okay so I've gotten a couple votes for each story. **

**I didn't want to do this, but I'm just going to do both of them.**

**The next chapter will be for You're Mine Sequel.**


	7. Chapter 7

It's well past sunset and I'm still on the beach almost three hours away from home.

I know Mom is going to kill me when I get back.

_If_ I get back.

Whatever, I mean, it's not like I care anyways.

Now they can leave me the hell alone about school.

MRS. EVERDEEN'S POV

"Okay, we all need to calm down." Haymitch says, putting his hand on my shoulder. "She's a smart kid, alright? She's much smarter than she gives herself credit for. I think that she's probably on a beach somewhere. She wouldn't leave the state but she's definitely not in Malibu."

Renee and Andrew and Rye and Graham are here to help us look for my unruly daughter. We're all thinking of where she could be.

"For all we know, she went on a plane back to Florida." Peeta says.

"No, no-" Haymitch begins.

"It's possible." He continues. "She told me yesterday she missed home. She would go somewhere she's comfortable."

"She wouldn't have gone all the way back to Florida." Reed says. "She's more comfortable on a surf board than she is in her own house."

We all sit around the room. I'm worried beyond words right now. I started screaming at Ethan after I snapped back into my senses, and he left. When we all went outside, Katniss was nowhere to be found, and we searched everywhere within a couple miles radius and didn't find her.

"Now, and no offense to you Peeta, but I've got a closer relationship with Katniss than anyone in this room. She talks to me about anything and everything." Reed says. "And I think that maybe-" then he cuts off and starts laughing. "I know where she is. I need someone's car. I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner."

KATNISS'S POV

"I hope you know Mom's going to kick your damn ass." Reed says behind me, and I jump. He sits down next to me. "Now, why did you walk out?"

"Because Dad-"

"And you listened to him?" he asks.

"I kind of just took the invitation to get the fuck away from this place. I'm not happy here. I miss Florida. I miss you and Kale and Mom. Mostly you because you are little like my best friend."

He sighs and puts his arm around me. "If you tried in school…" he trails off. I sigh.

"I left because it would get me away from the drama. I hate being away from home. It's painful only being able to hear your voices through a phone. I hate being told what to do by Effie and Haymitch. I really hate school. It's no pointless. School is just a place you go to be judged."

"School is training." He says.

"For what? Nothing! It's training for nothing!"

"It's training for your life. Think of it as training."

"Why?"

"Because I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'"

I look at him for a long time.

"School matters Katniss. Nobody really _likes_ school, but everyone goes. Some people, like you, don't give a shit. When you get a job they look at your school records. You have to have some really good grades to get a really good job. I worry about you all the time because I don't want you to live in an apartment all your life. Just change your thoughts about school and you will change your whole world, I promise."

I lean my head on his shoulder and sigh. "Well it's too late. I'll never graduate."

"Believe you can Kat. Just believe you can and you're halfway there." He pauses. "Do you love your life?"

"No."

"Well, I've always found that if you love life, life will love you back."

…a…

_Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion._

He's right.

What have I been doing all of these years?

I throw the covers off me, get my textbooks and go out to my balcony.

And I start studying.

…..a…..

This is the first big test I've had all year. That math test I missed on Friday is one hudred questions of everything I learnt last year and this year, and it's not worth a hundred points like it was supposed to.

It's worth three hundred points instead.

Johanna's in a really bad mood because she failed it.

I did the review sheet my teacher gave us.

_Don't quit, suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion._

I shut my eyes for a second, take a deep breath and begin my test.

After two hours of agony, I turn in my test and go to fourth period.

I'm so scared for my score. I can't remember the last time I cared this much about a math test…

…..a…

I'm sitting at lunch having a very serious argument with Finnick about the correct way to stand on a surf board, and we're all laughing and joking around when my math teacher, Mrs. Jasmine, slams my test down on the table.

"You want to tell me _how_ you got _every single answer_ on a _three hundred _point test _correct_?" she's seething through her teeth.

"I have a photographic memory."

"If you had a photographic memory, why are you in a math class because you failed math last year?"

"Because I didn't start caring about school until this year."

"Prove you have a photographic memory. On the first day of school I told everyone all the names of my cats and what they looked like. Tell me the names and what they look like. You weren't even paying attention to me that day."

"Melly is the first one you named. You said that she has a head like a tiger but the rest of her is white and her eyes are blue like the sea and a swimming pool mixed. Then there's Shelly. You said she's all white with two different colored eyes, one if brown and one is green." I continue listening all of them. "And then after you showed us ten pictures, you got upset because you could find the eleventh one. You told us if anyone calls you a crazy cat lady you would give us detention."

She stares at me in utter shock. "You impress me. I thought you cheated or something."

"Nope." I say.

"Wow. Well, I'm sorry for accusing you of cheating in front of your friends."

"It's okay."

She mutters something under breath and then walks away.

"Your brother is going to be so proud of you when he sees that." Peeta nod at my test. I'm so happy I could cry.

I just got a one hundred percent A on a three hundred point math test.


	8. Chapter 8

Mom is in a really bad mood when I get home from school, but nothing can ruin my mood. "Guess what, guess what, guess what!" I scream.

"Stop yelling." She says.

"What?" Reed asks.

"I had a three hundred point math test today and I got a hundred on it!"

Mom's eyes snap up to mine and I hand her the test.

"You only got one hundred points one a three hundred point math test?" she sounds pissed.

"No, I got every question right."

"This is ridiclious!" she rips the test right in half and throws it in the garbage.

Everyone starts at her.

"Lily she got every question right!" Effie says.

"Why the hell did you do that?" Haymitch asks.

I stare at her and it hurts.

I thought she was going to be proud of me.

I don't say a word; I just storm out the back door and ditch my shoes. I'm always dressed for the beach. I have on a pair of light blue jean short shorts and a white crop tank top that has an infinity sign with love on it.

I'm crying by the time I hit the beach, and I just hug myself and walk.

REED'S POV

"Do you realize what you just fucking did!" I shout at Mom.

"What?" she snaps.

"You have no idea how hard she worked for that fucking test! She finally got herself in check ad you have to go and fuck it up!"

"She got a one hundred on a three hundred percent test!"

"You dumb fuck! There's no such thing as three hundred percent! Percentages go to one hudred! She got every question right!"

"She said-"

"She said she got everything right! You didn't listen to her!"

I see panic fill her eyes.

I turn around and run after my sister.

KATNISS'S POV

I thought she would be proud of me.

"Katniss!" Reed shouts. I don't stop walking. He's very fast. He'll catch up to me in no time. "Katniss!"

I can hear him running now.

Finally, he gets right in front of me.

"She didn't understand what you meant. She thought you failed."

"This is my reward? I finally do something right and she rips it up."

"I know it's fucked up and I'm sorry but don't let this bump in the road stop you. Life comes with hills, but when you're on them make sure you keep your mind even."


	9. Chapter 9

**Guys omg so I have been waiting since yesterday to upload the next three chapters because the site was down and doc manager wasn't working so now its back up and i'm so happy!**

"Can we um...talk?" Peeta asks.

Things between us really aren't going too well. We've been together for about a month now and we haven't even held hands. Mom said I can come home. She left with Reed and Kale about three weeks ago. I'm doing great in school and I think I'm going to go home.

"Sure." I say.

Also, it's awkward between us. We both know what we should do, but we don't do it.

"Well...obviously we haven't been exactly...working out."

"Yeah." I sigh.

"Well...I was just thinking maybe...I think we need to break up. We've been together for a month and we haven't even held hands."

"Yeah, I agree."

"Okay." He says. "That was easier than I thought."

"Yeah."

It gets awkward. "I'm going to go. Thanks for whatever...this was."

He walks away.

I go out onto the balcony and stare at the ocean for a while.

We broke up?

I liked Peeta.

I find myself crying.

...8...

It took another painful week of missing my brother's wise ness, my mother's worry and my little brother's child ness for me to realize I can't keep doing this.

Peeta and I are acting like best friends again, back when we were not together, but he _still_ flirts with me. Johanna told me to just fuck him and see what happens, and then we spend the next two hours laughing.

He's giving me mixed emotions and it's pissing me off. I wish he would just make up his mind. Haymitch and Effie are driving me crazy and I love them so much but I miss my best friend from home, Madge. We're growing apart because I don't have my phone.

I think it's time I told my friends.

I walk into the lunchroom and sit down. It's Friday and I'm getting on a flight to Florida right after school. All of my stuff is in. I told Reed before anyone and he said Madge was going to be so happy. He's friends with her too. She lives down the street from me and I was in the middle of teaching her to surf when Mom decided I was coming here. It's early November.

"Um, I need to uh…tell you guys something." I say. All of them look at me in concern. I take a deep breath. "When I leave school I'm going right to the airport."

All of them stare at me for a long time.

"You're moving back to Florida?" Peeta asks, searching my eyes for a minute.

Johanna is going to be the only one that will be really affected by this.

"Why?" she demads.

"I'm just…I'm unhappy here."

"And your mother's allowing this?" Peeta asks. I shrug.

"Yes."  
"So you're going to go home, screw around again and not graduate?" Johanna laughs. "I thought you were smarter than that."

My anger rises. "I'll show you. You watch. I'll come back after summer r something and you'll see. I'll have graduate with a 5.0 GPA. You just watch Johanna Mason, you just watch."

**Don't hate me forever. **

**Last I checked, every time I have ever made Katniss and Peeta break up, they **_**always**_** get back together. **

**Just saying.**


	10. Chapter 10

"So how are you and Peeta?" Mom asks, cutting up the vegetables for dinner.

I might have sort of not really told her that we broke up. Reed knows, of course, because I tell him everything.

I take a sip of my water, shifting myself on the counter to grab the icing from the cabinet above me and a spoon from the drawer beneath me.

When I don't answer, she stops chopping and looks at me. "Katniss?" I take a spoonful of the chocolate icing.

"Um…"

Reed comes walking into the kitchen. "What are you guys talking about?"

"How Peeta and I are doing."

"Oh." He says. He shoots me a stern look.

"Well? How are you guys doing?" Mom asks again.

"We um…broke up about a week ago."

She whips around to face me. "Why?"

"It wasn't working out. All we did was hold hands, Mom."

"Katniss, you can't just…just…I thought you guys kissed!"

"For like two seconds. It doesn't count. It was a heat of the moment kind of thing and I'm not going to count it as my first kiss."

"Well you can't just not count it." She says.

"Sure I can."

"Well Madge would disagree. Have you told her this?"

"No."

"And why not? She's your best friend."

Kale walks in then, takes the spoon from my hand and uses it to get his own scoop of icing.

It's not disgusting. We do this all the time.

"Um, because I don't have my phone, I haven't seen her in, like, almost four months and I don't know her number by heart."

She sighs, gets my phone from the junk drawer and tosses it to me.

"Call her, invite her for dinner and tell her she's more than welcome to stay the night. I want to hear what she has to say about this."

So I unlock my phone and dial Madge.

"Katniss, oh my gosh, how did you get your phone?"

"Well...did Reed tell yo what happened?"

"Yeah, he said you moved to California. I've been to your house since you left, you know."

"Well um, I'm kind of home now..."

"Really?" she asks.

"Yeah, listen, do you want to stay the night?"

"MOM AN I SPEND THE NIGHT WITH KATNISS? SHE CAME HOME!"

I hear her mother shout something in response. "Will I be staying for dinner?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Okay, I'll be there in a couple minutes. Do you want to go to the beach tonight? We need to catch up!"

"Um, yeah, I guess. Let's just og to the pier."

"Okay, I'll see you in five."

"Alright."

"Okay love you."

"Love you too." I hang up.

Madge and I, we have that Tumblr relationship. We hug all the time and we hold hands and we do _everything_ together, but when we're apart for a long time, it doesn't affect us, because when we see each other again, we go right back to normal. I give her piggy back rides and we can run around town in our bikinis with her on my shoulders or vice versa. We can get completely naked in front of each other and change and not be disgusted. She sits in the bathroom with me when I'm in the shower and we take each other clothes all the time.

As a matter of fact, the shirt I'm wearing now is hers. We don't even min wearing matching clothing, and sometimes we plan it.

We have no problem sharing a bed, either, and she sits on my lap and stuff when we don't have room in the car.

Madge and I are just inseparable.

"Don't bring Peeta up here. I'm going to tell her later. We're going to go to the pier, okay Mom?"

"Sure honey, by the way, that money you made over summer, you don't need to save for it college."

"I don't?"

"No, Haymitch and Effie decided you did to punish you, but that was stupid. You don't need to. Go crazy."

"Awesome." I say.

It's not five minutes later that the door slams and Madge comes running into the kitchen. She's still the same Madge. Her light blond hair is up in a high bun, and she's wearing a white crop top with flowers on it. The bra is built it. Then, she has on short shorts with rips in them, a long necklace with a cross on it and white braded flip flops. "Oh my god, I can't believe your back!" she squeals and I grin and hop off the counter and she flings herself in my arms and we hug for a good minute or two. "Oh my gosh, this is like the best day ever!" she pulls back and looks into my gray eyes with her peiring blue ones. "Did you make any friends?"

"Yeah."  
"Any _boy_ friends?"

I freeze for half a second too long. "Oh my god!" she grabs my wrist. "We'll be upstairs! Call us for dinner!"

"Madge." I groan.

"Shut up Kat." She pulls me off of the counter and then pauses to take the spoon from Kale's hand to get her own scoop of icing, and then she pulls me upstairs. "Where, take a lick." She says. I take a lick of the icing and then she opens my blinds, slams my door and flings herself onto my bed. "Who is it? Did you date? Is he cute? What's his name?"  
Can we _please_ talk about this when we aren't home?"

She sighs. "Fine. Get changed for the beach."

"Okay." I laugh.

"How are you doing in school?" she grabs my bod feather pillow and flips to the end of the bed, her feet in the air, her ankles crossed. I take off everything but my underwear. "Damn." She says, looking at my boobs.

"What?"

"I was just hoping you'd have a hickey or something."

"No Madge, no way. It wasn't like that." I shake my head and she sighs.

"School. How are you doing? You better graduate, bitch, I thought we were supposed to go to UC together."

I get a white crop tops with spikes over the breasts and a pair of very short shorts that are two shades dark than Madge's. "I have a 3.2 GPA and straight A's." Actually, they're the same shorts as Madge's but mine are darker.

"Oh my god!" she says happily. "I am so proud of you!"

She was mad at me for a while because I was screwing off in school. Also, she hated the way I treated my Mom.

"And how are you and your Mom?"

"I feel like a bitch for the way I treated her."

"So...?"

"So I called her sobbing after a nightmare I had that she'd died in and I realized I loved her."

"I hope you graduate with a high GPA."

"Oh, I plan on graduating with a 5.0."

"That's the Katniss I know and love!" she sings.

I laugh and put on the same flip flops she has on.

...a...

"Can you _please_ tell me what guy you met?"

I sit down at the end of the pier and hang my legs off the edge.

She sits down next to me.

"Okay, well I told you all about Johanna, Annie and Finnick."

"Yes."

"Well there was this other guy. He was part of the group. His name was Peeta Mellark. Ou know that guy that I said was always at summer camp?" she nods. "Well, that was him. He told me one night on the beach that if I held up eleven roses in the mirror, I would be looking at the twelve most beautiful things in the world." She gasps and clamps her hand over her mouth. "A month of school passed and we got really close and the chemistry was really strong. He came over one day when I really missed home and I was crying and everything and well, we kissed."

She squeals. "Oh my god!"

"Wait." I sigh, and she forces herself to be quiet. "Kale was there because that was when my Dad showed up." She wrinkles her nose. She can't stand my Dad. "He saw and our lips were connected for like, two seconds before he screamed. Peeta asked me out and I said yes and then we were dating. I got really homesick after everyone left and then about a week ago he showed up at my house and we broke up. We didn't even do anything. We talked, yeah, but it was awkward."

"Man." She sighs.

"But the thing I don't understand, is I cried. Why did I cry if it was hardly a relationship in the first place?"

She links her fingers through mine. "Kat, I think you cried because he was your first boyfriend and first kiss. You liked him and he ended it."

I shrug.

"Well, how about we go up there for your birthday? And I can meet him and Johanna and Annie and Finnick. Maybe for college we can just get an old apartment somewhere and go to school online."

"Maybe." I whisper.

"Do you miss them?"

"No, I missed you much, much more."

She laughs, let's go of my hand, and then throws her arm round my shoulder. I lean against her. "I missed you too."


	11. Chapter 11

Semester one exams are coming so quickly. They're two days away, and then we go on Christmas Break. I've seen Madge every single day, like usual.

Madge's parents are going to be working all of Christmas break and they'll be out of the country in Egypt they're rich because they Lawyers. So, since they won't be home for the holidays, Madge will be coming with us to go to California.

Where Haymitch has decided we are spending the time with Peeta's family.

Madge can't shut up about how she's so excited. He got me Johanna's phone number, Haymitch did, and she said she's going to be there too, and Finnick and Annie with their families.

Madge is so excited.

I've been studying my ass off. Everyone is talking about something on TV and it's distracting me. I go to my room and shut the door and continue studying.

…a…

I take a selfie of my dressed for school Monday morning and post it on Instagram and write _first round of exams today. I'm so nervous._

Madge comments right away. _You'll be fine!_

I know she's right but still, I'm scared. I go downstairs and eat the eggs and bacon and fruit my Mom made for breakfast and then I hitch a ride with Reed to school, because he and I are still in the same grade.

I go to first period, Science. She hands me the exam and I read all the instructions and then I almost pass out.

It's two hundred questions.

This is going to be a long two hours.

.…a….

I worked so hard on that exam. All of the teachers at this school know I have a photographic memory, so if I were to get a hundred, which I doubt, they wouldn't question it.

I go to second period, art.

I don't know why I need to have an exam for art, but I work my hardest anyways.

…a….

"How do you think you did?" Mom asks, zipping up her suitcase. We leave in about five minutes, and I worked so hard for the exams. I'm eating a red popsicle and bouncing up and down on her bed.

"I worked really hard and I hope, god I _hope_ I didn't fail." Madge comes walking in with a popsicle.

"Kat, this is you we're talking about. You didn't fail. You don't give yourself enough credit. Hell what is the oldest thing you remember?"

"Um, my second birthday party. I remember Reed ate my cake and I started crying."

Mom laughs. "I wish I had a memory as good as yours."

We ditched school today and Madge slept over last night. It's only five thirty in the morning and it's going to be eleven in the morning here when we get there and eight in the morning there when we get there.

"Boys, we're going to be late!" Mom shouts. "Are you girls ready to go?"

"Yeah." We say in sync, and Madge rest her head against my shoulder. I'm wearing tan jeans and a white knit sweater and Uggs. My sweater is soft like a fluffy blanket ad super loose so it hangs off one shoulder. I have a white tank top beneath it and after Madge begged me for a half hour, I left my hair down and she insisted upon curling it.

"Maybe Peeta will see you look cute and you'll kiss. If you kiss in front of me I think I might scream." She says. "Or hug. Oh god, he's probably muscular." She lifts her head and grabs my arm with force. "Fuck Katniss, is he muscular?"

"Yes."

"Oh my god." She says. "Is he cute Ms. E?"

"He is cute."

"Ew, Mom, he could be your kid!"

"It don't matter honey. His father is cute too."

"Oh gosh." I wrinkle my nose. "Can we leave please?"

"Sure." She laughs.

….a…..

"The boy and his friends ditched school for you." Haymitch says. They're excited to see you. I'm going to drop you and Madge off at the bakery."

"Oh, that won't be necessary." I say.

"Why not?" Madge asks. She's in my lap because there isn't any room in the car. Kale is in Mom's lap because space is that minimum.

"Because…"

She scoffs.

"Oh, just drop us off. She doesn't know what she's saying."

I bury my head in her back and she just laughs.

"Also, they're excited to see Madge, too. I told them to treat her with respect and Peeta said 'any friend of Katniss is a friend of ours.'"

"Aw!" Mage says. All the guys groan and Effie, Mom and she smiles. I just sit there and take it. "Oh my gosh! Does Peeta have a girlfriend?"

"I'm not sure honey," Effie says.

"No he doesn't." Haymitch says. "I overheard him on the phone last night saying he missed someone. I don't know who the someone was but the last time he talked to the girl was in early November." Haymitch meets my eyes in the mirror.

"Oh my god, Katniss, he so has the hots for you! We should play seven minutes in heaven!"

Everyone in the car says 'No!'

I included.

We pull up in front of the bakery. It's chilly outside today here in Malibu, in the fifties. It doesn't snow in California, but still.

"Is this it? Oh yes, I see the Mellark's thing! God, I'm so excited." She gets out and yanks me out with her. "Let's go!" she pulls me inside. "We are s playing seven minutes in heaven."

Rye sees me, smiles and then shouts "SHE'S HERE!" and then Johanna, Finnick, Annie and Peeta come out from the back.

Madge's eyes are huge and she's grinning so badly and I start laughing at her because she looks like she's just seen an old guy strip naked right before her eyes.

"Kitty!" Finn picks me up and starts jumping up and down. "You came back!"

"Of course I came back." I laugh.

Madge is trying to figure out which one is Peeta, and with my eyes I tell her Peeta is the other guy.

Jo actually _hugs_ me, and then Annie and I see Madge holding her breath. Peeta hugs me and it's only for a couple seconds like the other three hugs, but when he lets go of me, her hand is over her mouth and her whole body is pale.

"Are you okay?" Johanna asks. "You look like you're going to be sick."

"She's just fine." I shoot Madge a glare.

"Sorry." She says, and she drops her hand. "I've just heard so much about you guys." She pauses. "Especially _Peeta_."

"Really?" Peeta looks at me and smirks and then looks at Madge. "Like what?" he leads us through the back where I greet his parents and brothers, and then upstairs to the living room.

"Like how you're really sweet and nice and funny and _cute_."

I'm shooting her daggers and Johanna is laughing so hard she her face is in her hands, and Annie is too.

"And how you guys kissed and then you guys broke up because you didn't do anything and how when you broke up she cried and that's why she went home."

"What? That's not why I went home."

"But that is _definitely_ part of the reason." She says.

If I could be mad at her, I would, but I can't.

"No, I went home because-"

She laughs happily and throws her arm around me. "She's so stubborn."

"Yes she is. She got so mad when she lost in that surfing competition." Finnick says.

"Oh, I did _not_ lose that."

"Your face is so red." Peeta teases.

"No it's not."

"Yes it is." Madge says.

"I'm assuming your Madge." Finnick says. "You are just adorable, aren't you?"

I see anger contort her features. "What the fuck is this? I thought you were dating Annie?"

"That's how Finnick greets everyone." I reassure her.

"So are you two close?" Johanna asks.

"We're so close that the word _close_ isn't even close to how close we are." Madge says.

"Okay, give us an example." Finn says. I sit back and put my feet on Madge's lap.

"Well, she sits in the bathroom when I shower. We see each other naked all the time, we share a bed when she spends the night, we steal each-others clothes, we hug when we see each other, she rests her head against my shoulder or vice versa and she sat in my lap on the way here from the airport."

"Oh, and we hold hands."

"Isn't that a little…you know…" Peeta trails off.

"On the other side of the straight train?" Finnick asks.

All four of us girl start protesting. "No! It's normal for girls!" Annie says.

"Okay." Peeta says. "So you tell each other everything? Like…_everything_?" he asks. He put emphasis to ask if she knows that he saw my boobs on accident.

I nod slowly. "Yes. Everything."

"Oh…" he trails off.

After a couple moments of silence Madge says, "Let's play seven minutes in heaven."

"We don't have enough people for that."

"Well then two people start it off." She says. "And Finnick and Annie can finish it."

Jo and Ann can clearly see what Madge is planning.

"That seems like a wonderful idea." Finn says.

No, I don't want to.

I don't want to complain about Peeta in front of Peeta so I pull out my phone and text Madge.

Me: _pls dnt make me do this. If we do have sex or something imagine how I would do in a long distance relationship! Terrible! Dnt make me do this. If we started dating I would call if off and then evry chance of the 2 of us working would demolish._

Her phone dings, and she snorts, looks at me, rolls her eyes, and then pulls out her phone and reads the message.

"Awe, look at you two best friends texting back and forth like we don't know." Johanna laughs.

Madge sighs and starts typing out a long message.

My phone dings and Finn, Ann, Jo and Peeta all laugh.

I read the message and sigh.

Madge: _damn you 4 being right. We should go 2 LA or something bcuz I want 2 do something. OMG WE COULD SO DO OUR BUCKET LIST AND GO 2 C THE HOLLYWOOD STARS AND WE COULD GO TAKE A SELFIE AT THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN PLEASE JUST THE 2 OF US PLEASE KATNISS PLEASE CAN WE GO JUST THE 2 OF US?_

Me: _mayb 2morrow bcuz we just got here and it wont seem rite if we just leave 2 go 2 LA. Its disrespectful, ya no? we can definitely go 2morrow if my mom lets us_

Madge: _fine if she says no then what will we do?_

Me: _idk…we can walk around Malibu_

Madge: _lets go 2 Disney. My parents will pay_

Me: _we can do that some other time_

Madge: _kk_

I put my phone in my lap, cross my legs and sit back.

"I'm sorry, what were we talking about again?"

**So I am just going to skip to the end of the school year...**


	12. Chapter 12

We completed out finals and we're done with school. Forever.

I'm terrified to check my GPA.

"Did you get your exam results?" Mom asks when I walk in the door.

"Um, yeah..." I toss the paper on her lap and escape to my room.

I don't know whether to be happy or cry.

I slam my door and bury myself in my bed.

And then I hear her scream downstairs. She comes rushing in and she's the one crying. "oh my god! You got a one hundred percent on every one of your exams!" She screams. She whips out her phone and checks something and then she screams again. "Your GPA is a 5.2!"

We both start screaming, and then Madge comes walking in and she hears about me GPA and she starts screaming and then Kale hears and Reed and then we're all screaming.

"We're throwing a graduation party!"

She walks out of the house. "Clean your room! The party is this weekend!"

...8...

Haymitch and Effie lost it and they brought the Mellark's here and my other relatives and Effie invited the entire fucking school and since Madge and I were the post popular people everyone invited came.

So the house is jam packed. I'm holding onto Madge's hand and we're screaming over the music to talk to each other. Johanna, Annie, Finnick and Peeta are here somewhere.

Is my bedroom locked?

Mom put something in the way so people can't go upstairs, but this is like a crazy college party, so people are anyways.

After a long argument a couple days ago with my Mother, I gave in. She said Dad wanted to come, and I didn't wNt him but she insisted and said "he's your father"

Madge's parents and relatives are here as well because Mim made the party for me, Madge and Reed.

Our four bedroom three bathroom beach house is way too small for all of these people. It's so hot.

I go upstairs to make sure my doors locked, and it is. Mom's room and Kale's room is and so is Reed's.

I don't want people fucking in my bed, is all.

"I'm gonna go find my Dad so I can give him my phone to put in his pocket!" Madge screams. She vanishes in the crowd.

I push through, trying to find someone so I'm not alone.

Luckily, I run right into Peeta. His soda pours down the front of my dress.

He starts to say something but I can't hear him, so I grab his wrist and pull him upstairs. I unlock my door, yank him inside and lock it again.

It makes the music downstairs much quieter.

"I am so sorry about that." He puts his cup on a coaster.

"It's okay. Accidents happen." I open my closet. "You don't care if I change in front of you, do you? I mean...it's not like you haven't seen my boobs before..."

I was wearing a blue strapless dress that is short with a tan belt and black heels with spikes. Madge was wearing the same dress.

I take off my blue dress.

"You know that me breaking up with you is probably the worst thing I've ever done." He whispers, and he's right behind me. Mom got a ton of alcohol and soda. "I just...I didn't think you would cry. I thought you wouldn't care."

I'm literally wearing nothing but spiked black heels and white lacy panties.

"Well you thought wrong." I whisper.

He slowly, hesitantly, reaches around and wraps his arms around me with his hands up higher than my waist. They are at my ribcage. He leans down and rests his chin on my shoulder.

"If you want me to stop, just tell me." He whispers. I notice then that we are standing in front of the mirror, and he's watching me.

"You didn't drink the alcohol here, did you?"

He laughs and shakes his head.

"No."

"Good." I smile.

"You are so beautiful. There are so many things I want to do to you."

"So do them. I don't care what they are."

His arms move up so they are right underneath my breasts, and my breasts are resting against his arm. He shuts his eyes and inhales, and I can feel his erection against my ass.

"Are you sure about that?" He whispers, and slowly, he reaches up and puts each hand over each of my breasts.

Am I sure about that?

Yes.

Yes, I am sure about that.

I close my eyes. "Peeta, you do what you want to do."

"I want to do what you want to do."

"Well ditto then."

He takes the other dress from my hand and rests it on my dresser and then he turns me to face him, picks me up and lays me down on my bed.

"Is the door locked?" He asks.

"Yes."

"Good."

He takes off my heels and sets them on the ground, and then he crawls on all fours on top of me.

"You know, the day you left to come home was the day I realized I'm in love with you." He whispers, and then his lips collide with mine.

...8...

We didn't even fall asleep, although we were about to. I was paranoid people were looking for us and so was he so we both got dressed and went downstairs.

I "lost" him in the crowd and have been searching for Madge.

I find her walking around asking "have you seen Katniss?"

I sneak up behind her, grab her wrist and pull her out the back door, all the way down the street to the beach. It's vacant here but the noise from the party is loud enough to keep someone awake that lives in another house on this street, but everyone on this street is at the party.

"What?"

"I found Peeta."

"And?"

"And he spilt his drink on me and then we went upstairs so I could change and I wasn't even thinking and I asked if he was okay with me changing in front if him because he's seen my boobs anyways and he said he didn't care so I was changing and he told me I was beautiful and all that jazz and his arms were right under my boobs and them I told him to do what he wanted and then he said he wanted to do what I wanted to do and I told him the same thing and then he laid me down and said that the day I left to come home was the day he realized he was in love with me and fucking shit Madge we had sex." I take a deep breath because I didn't even stop when I was telling her.

She looks like she's been slapped and then she screams. "Oh my god!" She gasps. "Did you use protection?"

"No."

"Fuck!" She says. "You are not ready for a baby and neither is he and I'm not read for a niece or nephew!"

"I'm scared." I whisper.

"You need to tell your mom."

"If I tell my Mom she's going to freak out even worse than you did."

"Do you have birth control?"

"No."

"Shit!" She says. I start hyperventilating. "Okay, alright, okay. Stop crying. When my older sister had sex for the first time she didn't use precautions just like you. She went to a drug store and got some pill, the morning after pill or something. Tomorrow morning we can go and get it, and then you take the kill and we can get you birth control and everything will be okay."

"And we don't have to tell my Mom?"

"We still need to tell your Mom. You can't just not tell your Mom. I think you should tell her after you take the morning after pill."

"What if she gets mad at me?"

"Well, then she gets mad at you. Whatever. Your her daughter. She'll get over it."

"I guess your right." We're silent for a little while, and then I hear a loud cough. We are right next to the sand dunes.

And out comes Mom, Mr. Mellark, Mrs. Mellark, Haymitch, Mrs. Undersee, Mr. Undersee and Effie.

Shit.

Shit.

Holy shit.

Madge doesn't falter for a second. "How much did you hear?" She demands.

"We heard everything." Mom says.

I don't think she's mad I had sex, I think she's mad I wasn't going to tell her I had sex.

So what do I do?

I run.

I run home, and when I'm running, literally, in the back door, I run right into Peeta and fall down and scramble up again, grabbing his arms, crying.

I'm scared.

He pulls me outside and I have both hands on his biceps.

"I'm sorry! I was telling Madge everything because I always tell her everything even when I'm not supposed to and my mom and Haymitch and Effie and your parents and Madge's parents heard! They're mad and Mom's pissed because I wasn't going to tell her we didn't use any protection because I don't have birth control! Peeta I'm sorry!"

He wipes away my tears. "It's okay." He whispers. "It's okay. Katniss, everything is okay. They're not going to do anything. They'll tell at us but it's not like we're never been yelled at. Honey, don't cry. It's okay, okay?" I hug him. "It's okay." He soothes. "It's all okay." He rubs my back and his voice is so soothing and gentle. "It's okay." He whispers.

He pulls away and wipe away any remaining tears and then kisses me for a moment. "It's okay."

I think I'm in love with him.

"Will you be my girlfriend again?" He asks.

"Long distance isn't my thing." I tell him flat out.

"Well, we can try it for a little while. If you start to want to break up, I'll move here."

"Peeta..." I bite my lip. "I don't want you to move for me..."

"But I want to be with you." He whispers. "We can just give it a shot. Please?" He whispers. He puts his hands on the small of my back and rests his forehead against my forehead.

We stare into each other's eyes for a long time before I kiss him, my eyes closing when our lips make contact. His hands leave my back to cup my cheeks and I move my arms around his neck and tilt my head back to deepen the kiss. I feel like we're being watched and I don't even care. He swipes his tongue along my bottom lip and I grant him entrance.

A couple minutes of us just making out pass, and then I pull away before I pass out from oxygen deprivation.

"Okay." I whisper. "We can do it."

"I love you." He whispers. "And I know it's a scary subject, but I love you and I don't expect you to say it back yet so don't feel any pressure. Just...just know I really do love you and I plan on tell you that all the time."

"Okay." I whisper. "We need to go back inside before people start getting suspicious." I whisper.

He nods and I walk into the house, only to walk right into my mother. It's clear she's been looking for me. Madge is right behind her. I see Mom look at Peeta, and then at me.

She says something I don't quiet catch and then she grabs my hand and pulls me out of the house. I see Peeta and Madge watching from the doorway. She pulls me across the street and let's go of my hand.

"What the hell?" She demands. I don't think I've seen my mother this mad in my whole life. "I don't know what's going through your mind right now, but they would you think you can't tell me? Katniss, I want you to be able to come with me for anything, and the same goes for Madge! Our relationship isn't strong enough. Why would you think you can't come to me?"

I cross my arms. "You obsess over me like I'm two years old. I know I can come to you but I didn't want to because you freak out about your little girl and it's annoying. Also, Madge is the person that I can talk to about anything. Why the hell did you follow us?"

"We followed you because we were in a group and we saw you coming downstairs with a boy. I didn't think anything of it until Mr. Mellark said he thought you two had sex. When you grabbed Madge and pulled her away I knew he was probably right, so we followed you and hid behind the sand dunes."

"Okay, but that was a private conversation."

"Well it's my job as a mother to know what's going on in your life. Even when your eighteen, I'm going to stay involved." She cups my cheeks. "I love you, honey. Now…was it nice?"


	13. Chapter 13

I'm seriously about two seconds away from crying.

Nobody is leaving, the sun is coming up and people are starting to pass out all over, or throw up. I tried going to bed and I could fall asleep. Madge came in with me, and Peeta, Johanna, Finnick and Annie, but the noise downstairs was so loud that we came back down, and I was trying to find Mom, but she was drunk.

Everyone at the age of twenty one and older are drunk.

Even Effie.

I'm seriously about to pass out.

I lost Madge, Peeta, Johanna, Annie and Finnick about an hour ago.

I'm so out of it, so I just swipe everything off the counter, climb on top and fall asleep.

…a…

"Katniss." Mom says, waking me gently. "Katniss, you have to help us get these people out of our yard and clean this house up."

I don't move. "Katniss!" she shakes me roughly. She sighs sharply. "Can someone help me wake up my daughter please?"

"KATNISS WAKE UP!" Kale screams in my ear.

"What the fuck?" I push him backwards sharply and he falls down. I sit up so fast that my head collides with the cabinet. "Why am I on the counter?"

Mom plucks a cheese puff out of my hair. "You fell asleep." She says. She looks at me for a second and seems to remember something, and then she gets a pill from above the cabinet and grabs a random soda and hands it to me. "Here."

Dad is still here, leaning against the counter, and the Mellark's are here and the Undersee's and Effie and Haymitch. Oh, and Johanna and Annie and Finnick and Reed and Kale.

"What'd you give her?" Dad asks. He doesn't sound mean or bitter, he just sounds genuinely curious.

I'm panicking and telling Mom _not_ to tell him, but of course she says, "It's a morning after pill."

"What?" Dad asks. "You've had sex? You're sixteen!"

"I'm seventeen. I'll be eighteen in about three months. It's none of your business anyways. If it was, you wouldn't have left."

"Well who was it with?" he demands.

"That's none of your business."

"Is he here now?"

"Nope."

I'm not that good of a liar unless I need to lie, and right now, I need to.

Nobody tells him that in fact, Peeta is standing about three feet away from him.

Nobody tells him I'm lying.

We have a staring contest. He glares right into mine and I glare right back.

"Are you lying to me?"

"If I was, I wouldn't tell you."

"Well was he _at least_ at the party last night?"

"Nope."

He sighs loudly. "Your lying."

"Yeah, I am lying. Of course he was there."

"Well who was it?" he's shouting now.

"I'm not telling you."

He looks at Mom. "Who was it Lillian?"

She shrugs. "It's not my place to tell. Now get out of my house. I don't need you here shouting at my kids."

He looks pissed. "They're my fucking kids too!"

"Well you don't treat them like they are! You left, Ethan! They don't like you! All three of them count Haymitch as their father more than they count you!" Mom shouts right back at him.

They are screaming at each other and everyone looks uncomfortable.

It pisses me off. She told him to fucking leave!

I let them fight and just go and start cleaning.

….a….

I haven't seen anyone but my family and strangers at the beach since three days after the party.

BY family, I mean Mom, Kale and Reed.

Madge went to Norway for the entire summer and Peeta's gone to Paris with Johanna, Annie and Finnick. Finnick's parents are the ones taking him.

And me…I'm at home, spending all my hours surfing.

I have such a dark tan that Reed is teasing me and calling me Mexican.

I told him he's a racist bastard, and he told me he isn't because his girlfriend is Mexican.

Then I told him that I'm going to tell her.

And then he threw me in the pool.

The thing that sucks is Peeta doesn't have a long distance phone and neither does anyone he's with.

And the same goes for Madge, so if I wanted to talk to her or him or Jo, Ann or Finn, I couldn't.

I haven't been able to surf for a week either, because lovely Florida is in a tropical storm.

Effie and Haymitch offered to take us out to Malibu, but I declined because I would just go there and have a continued terrible summer.

I'm sitting on the couch watching 13 going on 30 with Mom, Reed and Kale. I'm sucking the life out of an ice pop.

Reed looks at me. "Is that how you suck Peeta's dick?"

"Reed!" Mom says, and I throw my head back and laugh. "How dare you ask that in front of your little brother!"

"We haven't gotten that far yet." I tell him.

…..a…

It's my birthday tomorrow.

I will be eighteen.

I watch a horror movie on Netflix and then I fall asleep.

….a….

Someone is jumping on my bed. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEST FRIEND NOW WAKE THE FUCK UP SO I CAN GIVE YOU A HUG!"

I moan and roll over. "It's not my birthday."

"Yes it is!" she screams.

"Go away Madge. I'm sleeping."

I realize what I've just said and I actually scream. "Fuck! Your home!"

"Honey, I'm home!" she says.

"Fuck!" I spring out of bed and hug her and she hugs me back and we're silent for a while.

"Alright, I have many plans." She says. "There are others downstairs." She starts digging through my drawers. She flings my favorite short loose yellow skirt at me and a black crop top, white lacy panties and no bra, because it's built it, and then she gets me black heels with spikes on them. It's almost the same outfit as her; except her top is yellow and her skirt is black. She pulls me into the bathroom, pauses, and then grabs my black leather jacket. She shuts the door. "Take a shower." She says.

I strip naked, toss my dirty clothes in the hamper, start the shower and get in.

As I soak my body, she says, "So…I met this guy in Europe." She says.

"Really?" I ask.

"Yes. His name is Gale Hawthorne. He is from New York. He were there on vacation, just like me. We went on a date and now we're dating."

I lather my hair with soap. "Have you kissed?"

"Yes."

"Made out?" I press.

"Um, yes…he might have fingered me…" I rip the curtain back to look at her.

"Really? Did you blow him?"

"No…" she trails off. "Did you blow Peeta?"

I release the curtain and go back under the hot spray. "No. I will though." I pause. "Did you fuck?"

"No."

"But he made you come?"

"Well…yeah…"

"Did you give him a handjob?"

"No."

"Did you even see his dick?"

"No."

"Damn Madge, that's like torture."

She laughs, and so do I.

I wash my body. "Gale Hawthorne." I say. "That name sounds familiar."

"I thought so too. He even looked familiar, and he said he knows me from somewhere."

I shave quickly, get out, and then I wrap myself in a towel.

"I wonder where though. I definitely know that name."

"I was talking about you to him and I showed him a picture and he said he knows you, too. He said he thinks he knows me through you, but he can't remember. You know everything Katniss."

"What does he look like?" I ask as I start getting dressed.

When I'm fully clothed, she hands me her phone.

"Shit. That's my cousin." I say.

"Wow." She pauses. "So…how are you and Peeta doing?"

I shrug and lower my voice to a whisper. "It's starting to feel like us having sex was just a one night stand. I haven't spoken to him."

"Oh…" she trails off. "Well he hasn't been able to talk…you know that. You know he loves you. It was _not _a one night stand."

I sigh. "I know."

She blow dries my hair. "No braid." She says. "Let's go."

She looks down to make sure I've got me shoes on and then she goes downstairs and I follow her.

"Aw! There's the birthday girl!"

I'm honestly shocked. Peeta, Finnick, Annie and Johanna are here.

I look at Madge and know she's the one behind this.

"Did you guys just leave because you felt bad…?"

"No. We weren't going to miss your birthday." Madge says. "Well at least I wasn't, and Peeta agreed with me."

"And then we all agreed." Finn fills in.

"So here we are." Peeta shrugs.

"We need to have a serious talk." Madge says. "All of us. Reed included."

I hug everyone hello.

"Where to?" I ask.

"Where do we always go when we need to talk?"

I nod and walk out the door silently, taking off my jacket because it's hot.

"Fuck." Peeta says. "Did you get a spray tan or something?"

I laugh. "Nope. It's all natural."

"Damn Peet, you've got quiet the girl to call your own." Finn says.

Finn puts Annie on his shoulders, and then Reed grabs Johanna.

And he flat out kisses her, and then he puts her on his shoulders. "Your pretty cute, you know that Mason?"

"So are you, you know that Everdeen?"

"You should be my girlfriend." He says.

"Alright." She says.

And just like that, my brother is dating my best friend.

Peeta sneaks up behind me and grabs my waist and lifts me onto his shoulders.

Madge looks over her shoulder and does a double take and then turns around and runs right back to my house.

"Is that Gale?" Reed asks.

"Yeah, they're dating." I say. "I didn't know he was going to be here."

Madge comes back with Gale and I hear her saying "Katniss says you guys are cousins."

And then Gale roars in laughter. "Fuck, my little Catnip." He says. He seems to get the gist, because he lifts Madge on his shoulders. "Catnip." Gale says.

"Gale."

"Reed, bro, how are you?"

"Pretty fucking good." Reed says. "And you?"

"Pretty damn good myself. Happy birthday Catnip."

"Thanks." I smile.

"We need some music, don't you think?" Annie asks.

We all agree.

"But we have to sing."

"I say Katniss starts it off because it's her birthday." Mage says.

"I don't sing."

"Why not? You have an excellent singing voice." She says.

"Awe come on! Sing!"

"Do you guys know Metro Station?" I ask.

"Yes." Johanna says, and everyone nods in agreement.

"You guys have to sing with me though, that's the rules."

"Fair enough."

…a…

"So what do we have to talk about?" I ask.

"College." She says.

"Wait, fuck no." Reed says. "I thought we were waiting until tomorrow to do this!"

Everyone looks upset and uncomfortable, and I know I'm left out of something.

I hop up on the railing of the pier.

"College?" I ask.

"Yeah."

"Madge we weren't supposed to be talking about this with her yet." Peeta whispers.

She ignores all of them. "You remember when we were kids and we snuck out of the house with that tub of ice cream and we sat out here and we were talking about how when we grew up we were going to move in together and go to college together?"

"Madge." Reed says.

"Shut up." She says. She treats him like her own brother and he's used to it. She looks at me. "Remember?"

"Yeah."

"And then remember how we were going to share a room and out friends, Reed and our boyfriends were going to live with us?" I nod. "Well…we all got accepted to Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island."

I stare at her and it takes a second to click.

All of them got accepted to college, and they're going without me.

They wanted to wait till tomorrow to tell me because they didn't want to upset me on my birthday.

"Oh." I look down.

"But." She says.

"But?" everyone asks in sync.

"I filled out your application, forged your signature, and sent it in." she says.

Everyone stares at her. "I had the answer get mailed to my house. It came in some time last week. I opened it."

"And?" I ask.

She hops up next to me. "And today me, Gale, Reed, Johanna, Annie, Finnick, and Peeta are flying out to Rhode Island to look for apartments."

"Okay..."

I want to cry.

I want to scream.

I just want to die.

"But the thing is," she continues. "And stop crying."

"I'm not crying."

"Liar." She says. "Shut your eyes." I do, and the tears welled in my eyes spill and she wipes them away. "Open them." I do, and she puts her hands on my cheeks. "_Stop crying_. I'm not done yet."

"I'm sorry." She whispers. "As I was saying," she continues. "Johanna and Reed would share a room, right?"

They look at each other and nod. "And Finnick and Annie." She says. "And I really don't think I'm ready to share a room with Gale yet, so Peeta and Gale would share. Right?" she looks at them and they shrug and nod. "But then I would be all alone, wouldn't I?"

I nod dumbly.

"But then you have to have somewhere to live because you're going to college, so…be my roommate?"

I look at her.

"You bitch! You made me think I wasn't coming!" I push her shoulder lightly, and she falls over the edge into the water. "Shit!"

She comes up, laughing hysterically, and then I feel hands on my waist and someone, Reed, flings me over the edge.

I land next to Madge.

"I got accepted?" I demand.

"Yes! Your letter is on my dresser!" she says. "Now we need to go because I really want to give you your present. Let's go!"

**Guys I really love Madge. **

**I think I'm going to make her in the rest of my stories. **

**Any objections? **


	14. Chapter 14

We're here in Rhode Island and we're just staying at the hotel for the day because we're tired.

Gale and Madge are having a whispered conversation. The only open spot is next to Peeta. I've just come out of the shower.

"I'm so tired but I'm hungry." Johanna groans.

I stand next to Peeta's bed for a moment, hesitating, looking at him, and then I just get on and crawl over his sexy body. I sit there uncomfortably. He watches me, his hands behind his head, a curious look in his eye and a small smile on his lips.

I lean down and kiss him full on the lips. When I pull away, I whisper, "I've really missed you."

He smiles and whispers in return, "that is like music to my ears."

I get this overwhelming urge to completely make out with him. I bite my lip and then look at the TV instead of him.

He pulls me so I'm lying down, and he moves his hands and pats his arm. I put my head where he patted, and he moves his hand to my back.

"You guys are so adorable." Madge says quietly. I look at her and she looks so happy.

Peeta pulls out his phone and goes to his notes and begins to type.

Him: We need to talk.

He hands me his phone.

Me: about what?

Him: us

My hands freeze on the keyboard.

Me: are we breaking up again?

Him: no. Listen...what if I want to share a room with you? We can get separate beds

Me: ...I don't know if...I'm...ready for...ready for that...

Him: oh okay never mind then

Me: I don't want you to...to not be happy

Him: I am only happy when you are happy. I will never pressure you into anything. If you don't want to share a room then never mind.

Me: once we get closer we can okay?

Him: of course.

Me: okay

Him: I love you

He doesn't hand the phone back to me this time; he just puts it back in his pocket.

I shift so my lips are near his ear. "I think I'm falling in love with you." I whisper.

I see his breathing stop for a moment and then he kisses me. "We go at your own pace, okay?"

"Okay." I mumble.

I realize how stupid I am to have a "pace" because we've already had sex. I have seen every inch of him. There's nothing else to hide. There's nothing to be shy about.

We've pressed every step, we just skipped a few. I reach over him and dig his phone from him pocket. I put in the pass code I just watched him put in and go back to notes.

Me: I feel like I'm being childish. I feel stupid. We've had sex for fucks sake! We have done every possible step of a relationship, we just skipped a few. I feel so stupid! I'm sorry...we can you know...share a room. I think Madge just wants me to share with her because she isn't ready to do it with Gale.

He sighs and takes his phone back.

Him: Hon...You're not being childish or stupid or anything...we skipped A LOT of steps. We haven't even held hands yet. I will never make you do something you don't want to do. I understand why you're uncomfortable with the subject.

Me: I don't know what I want

Him: if you aren't one hundred percent sure then I don't want to do it.

God, I love him.

I love him.

I am in love.

Holy shit, I am in love.

Love is a scary subject.

He's watching me closely because I'm just staring at the screen.

Me: I don't deserve you

Him: I don't deserve you. You're so smart and talented and beautiful and I hate when you cry. You put the stars to shame.

"Peeta..." I whisper.

"It's true." He whispers. "I'm the lucky one."

I get a weird feeling in my abdomen but it feels great, and heat spreads throughout my whole being. I run my fingers through his hair.

I really want to go somewhere private so we can make out, because we have an audience here and they're watching.

I flip my leg over his body and hover above him and then I lean down and whisper, "Let's go on a walk."

"I am so happy you guys got back together." Annie says.

Peeta studies me for a moment. I kiss him. "Please?" He kisses me and then puts me on the ground and stands up and stretches.

"We're going on a walk." I announce.

Johanna's asleep with her head on Reed's chest and he's asleep leaning on her. Everyone else is wide awake.

"Okay." Madge says. I stretch and take Madge's flip flops and then walk out.

"Whoa there, tiger," Peeta jogs after me. "What's up with you going so fast?"

"I'm in a rush." I press the button to the elevator persistently. He laughs.

"Why? We don't have anywhere to be."

"Yes, but I want to do something with you."

"Like what?" We get in the elevator. We are on floor 12. It soars down and freezes right between nine and ten, and then the lights go out. We are the only two in here and I can't see anything.

"Peeta..." I whimper.

I'm not afraid of the dark; I'm just terrified of elevators falling to the ground floor. I can't see him, and he isn't next to me. "Peeta?" My voice fills with panic.

He pins me against the wall and I think his lips are a hairline from mine because I can feel his sexy breath on my lips. "Relax, okay? Someone will find out we're stuck." He puts his hands on my waist. I'm still wearing the yellow short flowing skirt and the crop top. "Your skin is so soft and warm." He sighs. "Fuck. I love you."

"I...I..."

He disappears from me and I go into panic as reach for him. When I don't find him I start searching for him. I catch his shirt and hold on. He puts his hand on my arm and onus me against the wall. "Fuck." He whispers. "I wish you wouldn't do that. Katniss, you need to be ready. I want you to be ready to tell me. I want you to be certain. I want it to be real." He whispers. He slides his hands down my arms to my waist and then curve around to my lower back and glide down to my ass. "You have no idea the effect you can have on me." He whispers. "You are so incredible."

"Well, it's dark." I whisper. "I want to do something."

"Okay, then do it."

"Can I see your phone?"

One hand on my ass disappears and he grabs my hand and puts his phone in it. I open the flashlight and shine it all around the elevator.

"No camera." I whisper. "Perfect."

"Honey, even if there was a camera, I wouldn't work because the elevator has no power."

I shine the camera on him. "Hold this please."

He does. I squat down in front of him. "Shine it on the floor please."

He does and I hear him inhale sharply.

"You know you are in a skirt, right?"

I look up at him. "Do you want me to cover myself or are you enjoying yourself."

"I'm guessing something you're about to do has to do with my dick." He says. I smirk. "Then stay like that. It's sexy."

I fiddle with his belt and when he tries to help me, I swat his hands. "It's my birthday." I remind him. "Let's pretend you're in handcuffs and I can do whatever I want."

...8...

"Where the hell have you guys been?" Madge shouts when we walk in the door at one in the morning. She's been flipping out and Reed and everyone else looks pretty worried, I can tell.

"We got stuck in the elevator."

"For hours," Peeta adds. "With no power," He pulls his shirt off. "It's so hot."

"Let me get this straight." Johanna says, and, she pauses, calls for room service, and then she turns to us. I'm trying not to stare at Peeta.

I gave him a blow and then he kind of was saying how I look sexy in a skirt and I need to wear one more often, and then his hands started wandering and before I knew it his hand was in my underwear and well...it's pretty easy to tell where it went from there.

Then after he fingered me, we had sex and then after that we made out for like five hours. The elevator just came back on about ten minutes ago but he had a boner so I kind of might have taken him to the bathroom and well...I gave him a hand job. We just finished that literally one minute ago.

So yeah, we had quiet an adventure being stuck in the elevator.

"So let me get this straight." Johanna repeats. "You two were trapped in a pitch black elevator with no power and absolute privacy for what, ten hours? And you didn't do anything?"

Peeta doesn't even give me the change to blush. "We just talked the whole time." He says.

"Mellark," Gale says. "You were stuck in an elevator for ten hours with your girlfriend who is in a crop top and a short skirt and you mean to tell me you didn't even try to do anything?"

I silently tell Peeta there's no point in lying.

"Okay...maybe we were kind of doing some stuff that makes us very thankful that the power was out..." He says.

Everyone starts laughing.

"Fingering?" Johanna asks. I see his cheeks get red and he starts scratching the back of his neck, which makes all of us laugh again. "Blowjob?" She looks at me.

"Yup," I walk to my suitcase.

"Is there anything else?" She asks.

"Um...we had a lot of time." Peeta says.

"So you had actual sex?" She asks.

"Yes." Peeta says.

"Is that all?" She asks.

"Johanna it was ten hours."

"Narrate this then! I mean, fucking shit."

"Well first I blew him, then he fingered me, then we fucked, then we made out and naturally after making out for hours a males dick starts to show so about ten minutes ago we went to the bathroom and I have him a hand job."

"Shit." She says.

"Why don't I get that?" Finn asks.

"You don't get that because I get nothing in return." Annie says.

"Well then we know you had a good birthday." Madge snickers. I plop down on Peeta's bed. He lies down next to me and I rest my head on his chest. I'm almost asleep when room service comes. Even though I protest the whole time, everyone forces me to eat. I don't even change out of my clothes before I'm asleep.

...9...

"Okay, who's ready to go apartment hunting?" Madge asks excitedly.


	15. Chapter 15

We're walking down the street. My right hand is linked with Peeta's left.

We toured the college today, and now we're looking for houses. I'm going to school for interior and architectural design and to be a lawyer and a teacher so I have a lot of classes. Gale, Reed, Peeta and Finn are going for business, and then Johanna is going to be a cop and Annie is going fashion design. Madge will be an interior designer.

Today, Peeta and I got into our first fight.

It hardly counts as a fight. He was arguing about the pair of shorts I was going to wear. He wanted me to wear the yellow skirt from yesterday because it brings back 'positive memories' and I told him I didn't want to wear it, and he groaned and muttered something about how I looked really sexy in it.

Okay so maybe it wasn't an argument.

Madge keeps looking at me and frowning. She's done it six times now.

She does it the seventh, and then she drifts back to walk next to me.

"Peeta, do you mind if I steal your girlfriend for a second? I need to talk to her about something."

"Not at all," Peeta let's go of my hand and Madge stops walking and keeps me with her until they're out of hearing distance.

"So...you know how I shared a bed with Peeta last night?" she asks.

"You mean Gale?" I ask.

"Did I just say Peeta?" She asks.

"Yes."

"Shit, I meant Gale." She says.

"Yeah, I know."

"And you shared one with Peeta..."

"Yes."

"I kind of...like being held when I'm sleeping. You and Peeta are pretty serious already."

"Yeah..."

"So is the thought of sharing a room with him instead of me revolting?"

"Not at all."

"So we will share a room with them instead."

"If they're okay with it…" I say.

"Right," She says. She goes to walk away but I call her back. "Yeah?" She takes my hand.

"I think I'm in love with Peeta." I whisper.

She completely stops walking, goes completely pale, and then screams on the top of her lungs.

All of our friends stop waking and turn around, looking alarmed. Gale and Peeta look the most worried. I guess Reed, too.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" She shouts.

"Madge he's listening." I whisper. "Be quiet."

"Everything okay?" Gale asks.

Madge bursts into tears. "Everything's fine!" She chokes.

"Hon, you're hysterical." He insists.

"Nah, they do this shit all the time." Reed says. "Katniss said something that made Madge happy. Probably had something to do with Peeta."

"With me?" Peeta asks.

"Katniss oh my god!" Madge says.

"Madge keep your voice down." I whisper.

"Are you going to tell him?" She demands. I clamp my hand over her mouth.

"Shut the fuck up. If he finds out through you I'm going to be really upset."

Her eyes get wide and she nods. "Sorry."

"It's fine." I say.

"Tell me what?" Peeta groans.

"Nothing!" Madge and I reply in sync.

Reed clasps Peeta's shoulder. "Woman." He says.

Peeta nods in agreement.

"Katniss you have to tell him."

"I don't know if I am. I think I am. I'm not sure. Help."

"Katniss you are so fucking in love with him. You were in love with him in that time when you broke up. Hell, you probably fell in love when him when he told you that you were beautiful and that if you held eleven roses up in the mirror you'd be looking at the twelve most beautiful things in the world." She says.

I watch her, listening intently. She puts both if her hands on each of my cheeks. "Katniss you are in love with Peeta Mellark. Wait until he tells you he loves you and then tell him you love him too. You should do it in front of us because I want to get it on camera."

"Why?" I ask.

"Because it's something I want to keep as a memory and something I want to play at your wedding."

"Nobody's talking about marriage!" I snap.

"What about marriage?" Reed shouts, and both Madge and I flip him off. "Peet, prepare yourself for a future with my fucked up baby sister!" He says.

"I may be younger but I'm still older mentally and physically!" I shout.

"Bullshit!" he says. "How so?"

"Well maybe by the fact that my GPA was a 5.2 and yours was a 4.6!" I shout. "Maybe because I've had sex and you're still waiting!"

"Maybe because she's in love in your not." Madge mutters under her breath.

I see Reed gets an annoyed expression on his face and then he turns to Johanna and they start making out.

"Katniss, you guys are going to get married. If you truly love him, you will never let him go."

"I thought it was if you truly love him you'll set him free and if he comes back it was meant to be?"

"DUMBASS YOU ALREADY PASSED THAT STEP!" She screams at me.

"NO WE DIDN'T!" I scream right back.

"If you guys broke up already, which you did, and he came back, them obviously it was meant to be." She says.

Fuck. I realize she's right and it scares the shit out of me.

"We can start walking again." Madge calls to the group.

"Come on babe my hands getting lonely!" Gale holds his hand out for her.

"I'll be there in a second." She says. "Katniss, I can't tell you the future, but, it is your thoughts and actions of today that make your future. If you truly love Peeta, which you do, you will go and make sure he fucking knows. That way, he will never want to let go of your hand. What you want is the sun," She points at the sun and our friends, still having not moved, follow her finger and being trying to decipher what we're talking about. "To be pointless. Your sun needs to be Peeta." She pounds to him and he gets a very exasperated expression on his face. "And he will need you to be him sun. You can't live without the sun."

I stare at Madge for a long time. "I really love him. I'm afraid of the future. What if we break up?"

"You won't, simply because you will make him your sunshine, and he will make you his. The future only belongs to the people who prepare for it today."

"Madge, I would die without you." I whisper.

She laughs. "I know. I'm your best friend sunshine."

We walk back to the group. Peeta's hands are shoved in his pockets. Gale takes Madge's hand and we all start walking again.

"I'm not going to hold your hand until I know if I did something wrong. I want to know what I did. I want to know."

I see Madge whispering to everyone else and taking out her phone. He stops walking. He doesn't even notice everyone is watching intently and Madge is taking a video.

"It's not anything bad..." I fiddle with the end of my braid.

"But...were you talking about me?"

"Yes."

He sighs lightly. "I don't um...never mind. I'm not going to pressure you to tell me. I love you, so I will never do that."

"We were taking about love."

"Love?" He repeats. I nod.

I fiddle with the end of my braid again, not looking at him.

"Why?" He asks.

"Because I love you…" I say shyly. My cheeks turn a little pink and I'm afraid I've scared him away or something because I don't hear anything, but then I feel his hands on my cheeks and he gently lifts my eyes up to meet him.

"What did you just say?" He asks. He already knows though. I can tell, because he's got this huge goofy grin all over his face and it touches his eyes. His iris's sparkle and he's holding his breath.

I bite my lip and then smile. "I said I love you." His smile somehow gets bigger and it makes me smile even more and then he shocks me by lifting me up and spinning my around with me literally suspended above his head. Then he lowers me into his arms and kisses me.

"I love you too." He kisses me again. "And I would keep kissing you but we're in public." He laughs, and I laugh, and then Madge stops the video and then all our friends start freaking out and Madge is crying and then we're walking again and Peeta isn't about to put me down. Madge is on my phone suddenly and then she's retelling the story and then talking about how we're going to get married and have kids and everything.

We're listening and then Peeta suddenly dives into a public restroom and locks the door.

"I didn't think you were going to say that." He whispers. "I never thought I would be happy enough to cry. I mean, I could cry but I won't. Fuck, I can't stop smiling. I love you."

"I love you." I whisper.

"Say it again."

"I love you, Peeta Mellark."

"Dammit." He starts kissing me. "I wish we were still in that elevator."

...9...

We didn't even do anything in that public restroom.

It's been three hours of looking for apartment buildings and he still hasn't put me down.

"Peeta baby...you know I can walk, right?"

"Do you want me to put you down?" He asks.

"Um...would be saying yes wrong?"

He laughs, kisses me, and then sets me on my feet.

...8...

We haven't found one decent apartment.

I'm getting a bit annoyed.

"Why aren't we looking at these places on the internet instead of walking all around the city without a car?" I blurt. Madge and Reed recognize the edge in my tone.

"Are you hungry?" Madge asks, narrowing her eyes at me. I cross my arms.

"No."

"Why don't we be done for the day?" Finn suggests, looking to Annie who looks exhausted and hungry. Peeta looks at me and nods.

"I agree with Finnick." He says.

We have been walking since eight this morning and we haven't even sat down one time. It's around five thirty at night.

"Okay." Madge says. "Well we're out now. Why don't we go to dinner?

Everyone looks around and then we all shrug. "Let's just walk a little more and then we'll see if we find somewhere to eat."

"One small problem." Gale says. We all stop. "None of us have jobs. We don't have money. The only reason we have a hotel is because of Madge's parents.

"I have like two hundred dollars in the bank." I say. "I can pay."

"No." Madge shakes her head. "That's not fair."

"Either that or we starve." I cross my arms.

"We can just get a cab and go back to the hotel and get room service."

"Then we have to pay for a cap." Peeta sounds impatient. He is never impatient or anything, so that's how I know how tired he actually is.

"Which I can't do because I don't have any cash." I sigh sharply.

"So we have to fucking walk?" Johanna asks.

"Whatever. I'm getting McDonalds. It's right the fuck there and I really want to sit down. Either you're coming or you can stay and watch me eat."

Johanna immediately follows, and then Reed, and then Madge, and then everyone. I jaywalk and someone honks their horn so I flip them off.

"UNLESS YOU'RE GOING TO FLASH YOUR TITS, DON'T WALK IN FRONT OF ME!"

All of us at the same time flip him off.

Peeta full out kisses me in the middle of the street and then flips him off with both hands.

"What a fucking douche bag." He says angrily.

Nobody answers him.

I walk into McDonalds and get in line, sighing when I feel the AC.

We order our food and I pay just as Peeta starts protesting.

"What?" I ask.

"I feel bad." He says.

"Why?"

"Because you paid for my food."

I smile and kiss his cheek. "Just eat."


	16. Chapter 16

Classes started three weeks ago and we didn't know, so we're really fucking behind. We're going to classes now. We found an apartment about a week ago and we've moved in because it was furnished. We easily got jobs on campus so we're doing pretty well. We have a plan. We go day by day for dinners.

Finnick cooks all three meals Monday, Annie on Tuesday, Johanna on Wednesday, Reed on Thursday, Gale on Fridays, Madge on Saturdays and then Peeta on Sundays. I cooked one thins and completely burnt it so we all decided that I will just do all of the grocery shopping instead of my cooking. We went home for a weekend to pack. Gale went to New York, Madge, Reed and I went to Florida and then all the others went to California. Madge, Reed and I got there first, and then Gale, and then the rest.

Mom had sobbed her eyes out when we left.

I felt really bad, and Peeta and I were sitting on our bed one night when we both didn't have classes next day and I told him how Mom reacted and I said I felt really bad for leaving her. He hugged me and he told me it's a parent thing and that his parents did the same, and they'll be fine. Mom has Kale and his parents have Rye and Graham.

Peeta added a career to his classes, so now he has business and he has law. He has the same teachers as me, although they're not at the same time as some of my classes. I have three classes for law, and then three for architectural design, and then three for interior design. I have the most classes.

Nine college classes is a lot and the only day I don't have no classes is Saturday. I work almost every day so I've been pretty worn. Everyone forced me to make sure that Saturdays are my day off of work so I can relax, because they're all concerned I'm overworking myself.

I know that can't happen. College is a breeze to me. In college, you basically listen to lectures and write papers, and if you remember what happened in the lecture, the essays are a piece of cake. And of course, with my photographic memory, I always remember. Often, I find myself helping Madge and Peeta study.

On Monday, I have two classes, one in the morning and one at night (I work in between the classes), Tuesday and Wednesday are the same as Monday, and then Thursday I have an evening class, Friday I have a morning class and Sunday I have a morning class.

In fall, we get the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, the Thanksgiving, and then the Friday after thanksgiving off. We all agreed there is no point in going home for it. We get two weeks off for Thanksgiving and one week during spring for Easter. We all decided we will go home for all of the breaks except for the fall one.

Mom threw a huge fit when I told her we wouldn't be coming for Thanksgiving. I reminded her that I'm finally doing well in school and I'm being _productive_ and _successful_ just like she wanted. That shut her right up.

We are all saving up money, because all of us have decided to take off work the week before exams, the week after, and we don't work during exams because we work on campus. Every one of our parents told us that during exams they will pay for the bills if it comes down to it.

Reed and I left Mom's phone plan and got our own.

I love Saturdays even more than I did in high school because the only thing I absolutely have to do is go grocery shopping.

I have two classes, my Tuesday ones, with Peeta, and then I have three classes, Mondays and Fridays with Madge.

It's Wednesday, and I haven't been home since nine this morning, class one started at nine thirty, and then right after class one I went to work and I worked until six twenty, and I stayed on campus for ten minutes to get to my night class, which went on for forty minutes.

Everyone is in their bedrooms, probably watching TV, when I get home.

I walk into Peeta and I's room.

All of them only have classes Tuesdays and Thursdays except for Peeta, who has six classes, so he has Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

"Your home." He says. "Come here baby." I shut the door, drop my bag on the floor, and crawl into bed next to him. We replaced some of the furniture, like the beds, because who knows who slept on them, and the couches.

I sit down next to him and he sits up. "How are you?" he asks.

"I'm okay."

"You look exhausted."

"I'm not going to be early enough." That's a lie that I didn't need to tell, because he knows the truth. I've been going to bed right when I get home normally and sometimes I skip dinner because I'm so exhausted.

Everyone comes walking in, and I know they're going to give me a lecture.

"Katniss," Madge begins. "I want you to think about what I'm going to say before you cut me off." She says. I say nothing, I just stare at her. "Can you ever see yourself being an architectural designer?"

_No_. That's the immediate answer in my head. Why I'm even in college for that career is beyond me. I could see myself designing houses with Madge rather than building them.

She raises her eyebrows and I don't even say anything, I just sigh. "That what I thought." She says, satisfied. "Now," she continues. "I don't ever see you sitting in a pencil skirt with your hair all up in a perfect bun being a Now," she continues. "I don't ever see you sitting in a pencil skirt with your hair all up in a perfect bun being a _lawyer_. That's not who you are. You are a person that likes to go out and put your opinion out there."

I bit my lip to fight a laugh, because she's right. I'll never be a lawyer. And even if I did, I would be a terrible one.

"Katniss," Reed starts in on me. "You're only in law school to please Effie and Mom and you damn well know it." He says. That's right too. "But is this there life and their money? No. it's your life your money. Why the fuck are you wasting thousands to donot one, but two careers in college that you won't even do in life? This is your life. Mom and Effie will be proud of you for doing what you want to do anyways." He's right.

"Imagine only having _three_ classes." Peeta says. "Not nine. Imagine coming home and not passing out right away. Imagine not sleeping all day and skipping meals. Imagine getting to go to the movies and stuff with us. Only having three classes would be a piece of cake for you. Hell, nine classes is a piece of cake for you, but working as well is a lot. Imagine only three classes."

I'm quiet for a little while.

I don't work every day either. I get certain shifts and sometimes Saturdays aren't my only days off.

God, three classes sound like heaven.

I sigh quietly and stand up and stretch. "I'll be back in an hour."

"Where are you going?" Johanna demands. "We _all_ have something to say."

"Well you can tell me _after_ I get back." I reply.


	17. Chapter 17

I got home a little later than I expected.

Well, a lot later.

"Where have you been?" Reed demands. He hugs me. "We've been worried sick."

"Well we need to finish our speech." Johanna says.

"Why?"

"Because you need to get your head out of your ass." Johanna says, and I laugh.

"Don't worry about me."

"Katniss." Madge says.

"No, really, don't, I dropped the classes."

"All of them?" Peeta asks.

"Everything but interior design. I already told Mom and Effie and they said they understood and they're proud of me for making the correct choice."

"When are your classes."

"I have two art classes on Tuesday and then Building Materials Thursday morning." I say. I need multiple classes for interior design but I am only going to take three a semester. That's what the college recommended.

"So no more passing out right when you get home? No more skipping meals? No more overloaded stress?" Peeta asks.

"No more." I answer.

He grins. "Good."

"Now I'm really tired-"

"Eat before you go to bed please." Reed says. "I'm worried about you."

"Fine."

"Your foods in the fridge." Johanna says.

"I need your help." I tell Peeta. "Can you help me?"

"Of course." He gets up and follows me to the kitchen.

"If your gonna fuck go to your room." Johanna calls, and all of us start laughing. That's kind of a joke now between us, because everyone was at class and all of us walked in on Finnick and Annie fucking on the kitchen counter.

Annie was so embarrassed but Finn said it was the circle of life, picked Annie up with his dick still fucking inside her and went to their room.

I bleached the counter ten times and it literally took three days of the windows open for the scent of bleach to go away. That was last week.

I get my food out of the fridge and out it in my microwave.

"How do I use this damn thing?" I ask.

He starts laughing. Calmly, he opens the microwave and gets the fork off the plate and then he shows me.

"You basically guess how long you want it on." He says. "Just put this on for a minute." He presses 100 and then presses start.

"That's it?" I demand.

He smiles. "Yes. You can't put anything metal in there, especially not aluminum foil."

"So..." I grab a can of soup from the microwave. "To make soup I use a can opener and I just pour it in a bowl and put it on for how long it says?" I ask. He smiles and kisses my forehead. "Yes."

"Oh." I frown. "It says for oven-"

"This is a microwave."

"This is a microwave oven." I point to the words on the microwave.

"Yes, a microwave."

"But it says-"

Johanna walks in with a black sharpie and colors in the word oven, and then she walks out. It doesn't show since the microwave is black.

"It's a microwave."

"So I put it in for a minute and thirty seconds?"

"Yes. You just press 1 3 0."

"And it starts for me?"

"Well then you press start."

"Okay."

"And remember, no metal." He says.

"Right." I smile. The microwave beeps.

"What if it's butter?"

"Only out that on for like ten or fifteen seconds." He says.

"Okay. What if is not warm?"

"Then you out it on for thirty seconds. If it's still not warm just keep putting it on for thirty seconds until your satisfied." He smiles.

"Okay."

He watches me as I eat. I don't know why he does, but he does.

I wash the dishes and clean the whole counter, insisting that he doesn't need to help me clean because I can do it myself. He stops arguing and just watches me. When I'm completely satisfied with the kitchen, I go into one of the two and a half bathrooms and take a shower and then I go to bed and watch some TV. Peeta comes in after his shower and lies down with me. I end up drifting off with the TV still on.

...8...

Coming home from class and knowing I don't have to do anything for the rest of the day makes me so happy. I'm in a great mood and everything someone does makes me happy. Unless they piss me off and that doesn't happen.

Right now in actually home alone because everyone else is working today. I'll be alone until six forty five or seven tonight.

I lay around on the couch for an hour and a half and then I get up and go to McDonalds because I don't want something from a can.

Luckily for me and Reed, the week after we officially moved in we were told to go to the auto dealership down the street and Haymitch was there and he got both of us cars for being so successful in school. I love my truck. He got me a silver Ford F-150 and Reed got a red one. I get a burger and fries and go home.

Peeta's standing in the living room when I walk in the door. He looks confused.

"I thought you were working today?" I ask, giving him a kiss and offering him some soda.

"I was but we were dead so I got off early." He says.

"If I knew that I'd have gotten you food." I mumble, and I start feeling terrible.

"Let's go out." He says. "Like on a date. You don't even have to change your clothes."

I look down at my food.

"Unless...never mind. We can do it some other time." He looks upset. This is actually the first time he has ever asked me out on a real date before.

"I didn't say no..." I bite my lip. He shoves his hands in his pockets and rocks back and forth.

"I changed my mind. We can go tomorrow." He says.

"Peeta..." I feel terrible.

"No, no." he says. "Eat."

"Peeta..."

"Just eat." He kisses my forehead. "When you eat I'm going to go get food."

"We can go out, Peeta."

"We will go tomorrow." He says. I slowly set my stuff down and walk over to him after he grabs his keys off of the hook by the door. I wrap my arms around his waist and hold on to him. He hugs me back and we don't move for a long time. I just enjoy listening to the thump of his heart. "I love you so much. I can't even explain it. I love you Katniss. I really, really love you."

"I love you too." I mumble. He plants a kiss on my forehead.

"I'll be back." He says.

For some reason, it feels like I'm never going to see him again. It feels like he's going to get into a car accident and I'll never see those blue eyes.

The front dork is halfway closed behind when I call out his name. "Peeta!" I sound panicked and scared. He sticks his head back in the door. "Don't go. Please. Stay with me."

He searches me eyes for a long time, and then he steps back into the house and puts both of his hands on my cheeks. "Always," He whispers. He sets his keys back down.

"I'm sorry...you need to eat..." I trail off.

He shakes his head. "Something in my gut is telling me not to go.

Something tells me something's going to happen to me. I'll stay. I'll always stay."

"You can share lunch with me." I say. He already beings protesting but I get a plate and two cups and split the drink evenly, and then I put everything on a plate and hand him a knife to cup the burger in half.

We eat, and we don't even speak, but the silence is perfect and it doesn't bother us.

We both clean up and then I go pee, wash my hair and brush my teeth and hair because it got messed up on the way from school and I just ate. When I come back, nobody is in the living room. I walk into Peeta and I's room and he isn't there.

"Baby?" I ask.

"I'm in the bathroom." He says, and his voice is muffled. "You can come in." I hesitate outside of the door and then I walk in. He's standing in his boxers brushing his teeth. I shut the door and hop up on the counter. His voice must have been muffled by his toothbrush. I watch him as he finishes brushing his teeth and then he spits, and then washes his mouth out and dries it off. He seems to hesitate.

"I'm going to take a shower..." He starts scratching the back of his neck. "You know we're all alone..." He bites his lip.

A smirk begins to spread across my lips. His eyes dart between my legs because I'm wearing that yellow skirt again and well...Peeta's seen every part of me so I'm not exactly sitting like a lady. He moves between my legs and rests his hands on my bare thighs.

"I want to fuck you so bad." He groans

"Let's take a shower." I smirk.

"What a wonderful idea."


	18. Chapter 18

Peeta's mad at me. I just know it.

I was working today and I got asked to stay late so I was supposed to go to lunch with Peeta but I couldn't and I wasn't allowed on my phone to tell him. I was only supposed to have an hour shirt that started at eleven and ended at twelve and we were supposed to meet, but at twelve when I was getting ready to leave my boss asked me to stay till six. I told him that I couldn't and he said either I stayed or I'm fired, and when I asked him if I could text Peeta he said no. And then I got fired.

I have had a terrible day and when I come in the door I'm almost crying. When I see everyone is in the living room but Peeta, I do start crying.

"What happened?" Reed demands, shutting the TV off.

"Peeta's not here?" I ask.

"No. He left after noon and he hasn't been home since." Johanna says.

"What happened?" Madge asks.

I explain the entire situation to them.

"He's probably still there." Finn says.

I go into our room to change into a pair of light blue jean shorts, a real tank top that has buttons down the center and then sandals. I switch purses, take my hair down and walk out of the house without saying goodbye.

I don't follow the law and sure enough, his car is in the parking lot of the restaurant. The thought that he has been here for almost seven hours makes me want to throw up because I feel terrible. I rush inside.

We just were coming to Applebee's.

The waitress tries to stop me. "I'm with somebody."

"With the blond guy? The guy that definitely deserves someone better?" She snaps.

"I was at work and my boss made me stay late and he wouldn't let me get on the phone to tell him I couldn't make it." I snap back. She sighs quietly.

"I wasn't even planning on letting you in. Whatever, just go. If you upset him I'm going to kick you out. He deserves me."

I swear I almost slap her, but instead I walk past her before she can say another word and go right over to Peeta. He's staring at his phone with his head down on the table.

When I drop down next to him his head shoots up and his eyes are filled with hope.

"I'm sorry. God, I'm so sorry. My boss made me stay late and I told him I couldn't and he said if I didn't he would fire me and then I asked if I could call you and tell you and he said no so I went home and you weren't there and I started crying and I knew you were here the whole time so-" he cuts me off with one of the deepest kisses I think we have ever shared, and it's obvious people have asked him what he was still doing here and I guess word got around that I stood him up and he refused to leave because everyone in the entire restaurant starts cheering. He pulls away a few moments later. "I'm sorry." I whisper weakly.

"Don't." He runs his thumbs along my cheekbones. "It's okay. I know you wouldn't just not show up. I know you didn't forget either, because it's basically impossible for you to forget something." He kisses me again, and then two more times.

"I feel bad." I whisper. He shakes his head and kisses my forehead.

"Don't." He says. "I love you so much."

I feel like I'm in pain because I didn't show up, and it feels like no matter what words he says, I won't feel better. "I love you too." I whisper weakly, and then I move to the other side of the table. Everyone returns to their own business. "So um...I don't really know what to do...like...I've never been on a date before."

"Me either." He says. "I think we just talk and get to know each other."

We start laughing then. "I know you already!" I smile.

"I don't know." He says. "I feel as though I don't know you as well as Madge does. I want you to take me there."

"Take you where?"

"To that place in your heart."

"I'm confused."

"The place nobody has been too. Not even Madge. I want to know every last little thing about you. I want to know the name of every person you have ever spoken to. I want to know everything. I don't want to miss a detail."

"So ask away. I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"First kiss?" He demands. He doesn't even think twice before asking.

"You."

"Really?"

"Yes." I smile. He reaches across the table and pulls my sunglasses off of my face. I forgot to take them off, I guess.

I'm about to reply when the waitress comes and takes our drink orders. I look at the menu and decide what I want. Then, I put my phone on the table so I'm not sitting on it.

"Secret talent?"

"Surfing?"

"That's not a secret." He grins.

"Wait, I should be allowed to ask a question after you do."

"Right." he nods.

"First kiss?" I ask.

"You." He smiles. "Now, your secret talent, Mrs. Everdeen." He kisses the back of my hand. I start shaking my head.

"I don't have one."

"Honey, everyone has a secret talent."

"Um..." I'm quiet for a long time and he searches my eyes the whole time. "I don't know. I guess...singing..." I shake my head. "That doesn't feel like one though."

"Singing." He tests it out. "Singing. You can sing?"

I shrug. "Maybe." I smile. "You'll have to wait and see."

The waitress comes back with our drinks and we order our food.

"Can I ask you something?" He blurts.

"Baby, you can ask me anything."

"Do you ever want to get married?" He asks.

I wasn't expecting that, and my jaw actually goes slack. He lets out a nervous laugh. "Just kidding. You don't have to answer that." We are both silent for a long time, and I just sit there stirring my drink and listening to the noise the ice makes.

"I don't want to get married unless your the one standing at the alter." I finally say.

His eyes snap up to mine. He doesn't say anything. "Really? You want to get married?"

I shrug. "Not right now. I'm hardly an adult."

"Well obviously not right now." He says. "But some time?"

"I don't know..." I bite my lip. "Kids are...hard. They have to be good and...I don't know."

He sighs. "I want to marry you." He whispers. "but I want kids." He's silent. "I'll wait forever."

"To have kids?"

He shrugs. "I don't know why I just said that to be completely honest."

I chuckle. "How was work?" He asks. I've been losing my patience with my coworkers.

"It was horrible." I grumble. His eyebrows crease.

"What happened?"

"Well it started with Hanna screaming at me for being late when I got there at nine on the dot. Then it went from that to everyone being all bitchy towards me, and then I was forced to stay and I couldn't talk to you and then I got fired."

"Oh honey..." He whispers. "You got fired?"

"Yes. Now I'm scared because I had bad grades in all the years but senior year and they look at it. I'll never get hired."

"Baby..." He sighs lightly and reaches across the table for my hands. "Don't think like that, okay? You have to make mistakes in order to improve. Just because your boss was in a bad mood and fired you doesn't mean you are going to never get hired again. You are very smart and talented and brilliant and beautiful. Goodness, you are so beautiful."

I look at our joined hands.

"I don't deserve you."

"Yes you do. Don't say that honey."

"That girl." I point at her. "Wasn't going to let me in. She did though,

and she told me I didn't deserve you and if I made you mad she was going to kick me out so she could have you."

I see the girl look over at us. Peeta looks at her. She doesn't look away from him.

Finally, he gets an uncomfortable look and he looks back at me. "That won't happen. I don't want her. The only girl I want or ever will want is sitting right across from me and I'm holding her hands."

I look down at our joined hands again and smile.

"I wish I was a better person." I whisper.

He frowns. "What do you mean?"

"I just...I wish I was a real lady, you know? I wish I didn't swear and I acted like an adult rather than a three year old."

"Me too." He says.

"How about we work together?" I ask. "I help me be a gentlemen and you help me be a lady."

"Good idea, madam."

...8...

We went home after that.

"Did you work everything out?" Madge asks.

"Yes." I reply. "Um...I got fired today..."

Everyone looks at me and are silent for a while, and finally Reed says, "I think all of us are perfectly capable of keeping us going. Just start looking for another job, okay?"

Everyone nods in agreement with what Reed said, and then I sigh.

"I just...I feel bad."

"And I told her not to worry about it because she always has problems there." Peeta says.

"Yeah Katniss, Peeta's right." Annie agrees.


	19. Chapter 19

We have decided to surprise Mom. All of our families are coming to my mothers house for Thanksgiving and we are going to come. They're there already. We are getting off of the airport.

That whole thing about me trying to be a lady was completely bullshit and I dropped the idea just as soon as I got it. Today I love my outfit for being back in Florida. I wear a white loosely fitted tank top, sunglasses, my hair is down and then I have on skinny cameo jeans and black wedges. Madge has on the same thing but her jeans are pink cameo instead of green. I dig my car keys from my bag and go get the car from the valet guy. Peeta puts our luggage in and we drive quickly, not following the speed limit to my Mother's house, who is not expecting us.

I shut the car off and get out. Peeta scrambles around my truck and links our hands together.

We walk into the house and Mom looks like she's going to pass out. Her eyes get all wide and she starts crying.

"Here we go." Kale sighs.

"Oh my god!" Mom says. "I thought you weren't coming!" She jumps off the couch and trips and falls with a thud to the floor.

"Ok my god." Reed and I scramble to help her up. She's not even sad, she's just laughing.

"Your home!" She pulls us into a group hug. Everyone else is getting attacked they their families too.

It's takes a good ten minutes of saying hello to everyone for us to calm down.

They all look between Peeta and I.

"How are you guys?" Effie says.

"Peeta and I?" I ask.

"Yes. When you left you weren't really comfortable with each other."

"Oh, we're fine." I say.

"Just fine?" Her eyebrows crease.

"We are wonderful." Peeta slings his arm around my shoulder and kisses my cheek.

"You are?"

"They fucked in an elevator. You don't need to worry about them." Johanna says.

Peeta's body tenses against mine.

Effie looks...I can't even explain it. She just looks ashamed and revolted.

"What?"

"We were stuck in an elevator with no power all alone for half a day." I say. "And we got bored..."

"Oh my god." Mom says. "Katniss, you are...your only eighteen. I under you are an adult, but you can't afford to get pregnant."

"I'm not going to get pregnant. I'm on birth control and I take the morning after pill." I snap. "Don't worry about me."

"Katniss." Peeta whispers. "Be nice. She's not doing anything wrong."

I take a deep breath to calm down.

"Nobody's staying in your room." She says.

We have decided to surprise Mom. All of our families are coming to my mothers house for Thanksgiving and we are going to come. They're there already. We are getting off of the airport.

That whole thing about me trying to be a lady was completely bullshit and I dropped the idea just as soon as I got it. Today I love my outfit for being back in Florida. I wear a white loosely fitted tank top, sunglasses, my hair is down and then I have on skinny cameo jeans and black wedges. Madge has on the same thing but her jeans are pink cameo instead of green. I dig my car keys from my bag and go get the car from the valet guy. Peeta puts our luggage in and we drive quickly, not following the speed limit to my Mother's house, who is not expecting us.

I shut the car off and get out. Peeta scrambles around my truck and links our hands together.

We walk into the house and Mom looks like she's going to pass out. Her eyes get all wide and she starts crying.

"Here we go." Kale sighs.

"Oh my god!" Mom says. "I thought you weren't coming!" She jumps off the couch and trips and falls with a thud to the floor.

"Ok my god." Reed and I scramble to help her up. She's not even sad, she's just laughing.

"Your home!" She pulls us into a group hug. Everyone else is getting attacked they their families too.

It's takes a good ten minutes of saying hello to everyone for us to calm down.

They all look between Peeta and I.

"How are you guys?" Effie says.

"Peeta and I?" I ask.

"Yes. When you left you weren't really comfortable with each other."

"Oh, we're fine." I say.

"Just fine?" Her eyebrows crease.

"We are wonderful." Peeta slings his arm around my shoulder and kisses my cheek.

"You are?"

"They fucked in an elevator. You don't need to worry about them." Johanna says.

Peeta's body tenses against mine.

Effie looks...I can't even explain it. She just looks ashamed and revolted.

"What?"

"We were stuck in an elevator with no power all alone for half a day." I say. "And we got bored..."

"Oh my god." Mom says. "Katniss, you are...your only eighteen. I under you are an adult, but you can't afford to get pregnant."

"I'm not going to get pregnant. I'm on birth control and I take the morning after pill." I snap. "Don't worry about me."

"Katniss." Peeta whispers. "Be nice. She's not doing anything wrong."

I take a deep breath to calm down.

"Nobody's staying in your room." She says.

...s...

"Can Katniss sing?" Peeta asks my Mom.

I cross my arms and glare at him.

"I don't know. She doesn't sing much." Mom says.

"She said she can." He says.

Mom shrugs.

"Well that's conceded." Madge teases. I roll my eyes.

"I don't know." Mom says.

"I asked her what her secret talent is and she said she can sing."

"Technically everyone can sing but not everyone can sing well." I say. "I'm going to the beach."

"It's fifty degrees outside." Mom says.

"So? I've been in ten degree weather since the beginning of the month."

She sighs. "Fine."

I almost mutter, "it's not like you would have had a choice anyways..." but I decide not to.

I go up to my bedroom and I'm standing there in just my bathing suit bottoms when someone knocks on the door.

"Yeah?"

"It's me." Peeta says.

"You can come in." I say, grabbing my bathing suit. He comes in a completely freezes, and then he smiles and shuts the door and locks it.

"I love you."

I snort. "Your such a horny little bastard."

He laughs and puts his hands on my bare hips and slides them around to my back.

He rests his forehead on mine. "Your so perfect."

"Your just staring at my tits." I mumble.

He looks into my eyes. "Now I'm staring at your eyes." I stare back for a long time, and then he takes my bathing suit top from my hand and tosses it on my dresser.

"Peeta." I warn.

"What?" He kisses me. "We had sex in here for the first time before. We need to recreate that memory."

"No." I shake my head. "No way. Anyone could hear us."

"Fine." He laughs. "I love you." He kisses me.

"I love you too." I whisper against his lips.

**I'm going to work on You're Mine for a while.**


	20. Chapter 20

I'm having such a bad day. We got home from the airport and we slept yesterday. I had my night class and then work (I got a new job at Applebee's) right after. It's three in the morning and Applebee's closed three hours ago. I forgot my phone at home, it's pouring rain and my truck won't start, so I have no way of calling for help.

Also, and this is the worst part, there is a gang across the street. Their skin is dark and they're in all black and they're tall and they have guns and I'm really scared.

_And_ they're making their way towards my truck. I have the door locked but they know I'm in the car.

My doors are locked and I'm looking blindly for my pepper spray. The boys got paranoid and made me get some.

"She looks hot, let's get her clothes off."

"I call first dibs. My dicks the largest so it'll hurt the most."

I'm crying now. I'm in my soaked work uniform, my hair isn't in its braid and it's dripping. I'm cold, I'm tired, I'm wet, I'm scared and I just want to go home without getting raped.

But it's almost four, and I know nobody is coming to rescue me.

Fuck me for not carrying a fucking gun.

I don't think I have the pepper spray. One of the guys are picking the lock.

Someone comes from the other si of the road, the side the gang wasn't on and he taps on the passenger window. I look up and see another guy. He too, has dark skin, but he is in a white V-Neck. He looks frantic and I see a car with headlight from across the street. He's waving me to come forward and he looks frantic. It's very dark out and it's raining so hard that I doubt they can see. Also, its winter, it's forty degrees so the rain is sleet, too. It's not cold enough to snow. If I was, it would be a blizzard.

The guy waving me forward is my better chance because the gang is going to rape me multiple times and kill me anyways, so I grab my purse and my keys. Just as the gang gets my driver's door open, I crawl across my seat and get the passenger door open. One of them grabs my wrist and starts pulling me across the middle console, but the other guy grabs my other wrist and pulls really hard. The better guy yanks me towards him. He's armed and I'm so scared. I'm glad it's raining because it hides my tears.

The gang is surrounding us now. "Back the fuck off! Get on the ground!" he points his gun at them. They point their guns at us and the guy grabs my arm and shoves me behind him.

I start digging wildly in my purse. A gun goes off and then a hand locks around my wrist and I'm being pulled somewhere. I don't know where I'm going. The person that has me shoves me in a car and slams the door and then gets in the driver's side.

"My name is Thresh Marcus. I go to college with you. I'm classmates with Peeta. Your dark hair and gray eyes reminded me of something and then I pictured Peeta. He talks about you all the time. I knew it had to be you. Not many females have gray eyes."

"They were going to rape me." I whisper numbly. He's driving towards my apartment. "They were each going to rape me and then kill me."

"I wasn't going to let that happen. Are you okay? The douches didn't hurt you, did they?" he starts pulling out his phone.

"No." I whisper. "They didn't hurt me physically but mentally…" I sigh.

He nods. "That's to be expected." He dials a number and puts it on speaker.

"911 what is your location of your emergency?"

He explains everything and gives them a detailed full description, gives them both of our addresses, and our names and I give them they phone number and he gives them his and he hangs up. Seconds later, I hear sirens.

"So it Katniss Evergreen?"

"Deen." I correct him. "Everdeen."

"Right, right." He nods.

"How do you know where I live?" I look at the gun still in his hand and scoot closer to the door.

"I heard Peeta on the phone giving someone his address last Friday. I have photographic memory." He explains.

"Me too."

"That sucks. But I know." He pauses. "Peeta." He explains.

It sucks because I am ever going to be able to forget this night.

The rain makes his driving slower. He pulls up in front of my apartment and there's a police car out front.

"Let's go. I bet your roommates are freaking out."

We get out of the car and I lead him up to my apartment. The door is open and since we're on the second floor the roof is covering us even when we aren't inside. I leave my stuff outside and go into the house. There's a police officer telling them happened and they're all stone-faced.

Peeta spots me first. "Oh god!" he pulls me into his arms with a near death grip. "Oh my god, are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"No they didn't." Thresh says.

"They were all going to rape me." I whisper. "There were eight of them. They were going to rape me. Eight guys were going to rape me and I couldn't stop them and they were going to leave me to die. I don't want to die that way."

His eyes are black and I know he has his last bit of control in use and it's about to slip out. He wipes away my tears. "You're okay. You're okay. You're alive. You're safe. You're okay. It's okay."

Reed loudly clears his throat and Peeta seems to get it and he moves out of the way. Reed's arms envelop me. "They're just a bunch of horny bastards. They didn't get you. You're safe and your home. You're going to get sick. How about you go and change your clothes so you're not all wet."

I don't though, because the cop starts questioning me. "So who shot the gun?"

"I don't know."

"How do you not know?"

"I pushed her behind me." Thresh speaks up. "She didn't see anything from when she got out of the car to when she got into my car. I didn't let her see something that could scar her more."

"So you're telling me," the cop says. "You were just driving around at three in the morning with a _gun_ and you see this happening and you just decide to shove an eighteen year old girl you've never met before behind you and your willing to die for her?"

"I don't know her physically but I know her mentally. I've heard a whole lot about her."

"But you've never seen her. How did you know it was her?"

"I have a class with him." He points at Peeta. "He talks about her like she's god. Plus, name one person you know with chocolate brown hair and gray eyes."

It was dark. Ho did you see her eyes? How did you even see her? It was pitch black. Katniss, you said you could hardly see."

"Yeah…"

"I suspect…" the officer looks at me and I back up closer to the boys, not Thresh, because now that I think about it, it doesn't make sense. "I suspect you were part of that gang, but you saw her and realized you knew her brother?" he looks at Peeta and raises his eyebrows.

"She's my girlfriend."

"girlfriend," he continues. "And then you stopped them. You were armed because you were with the gang."

I start shaking my head. "No." I say. "Thresh came from the right because I was him through the passenger window. I saw the gang from the rearview mirror. They were directly behind my truck before they started walking with me. He wasn't with the gang. Plus, I saw the gang walking towards me. It was all tall guys. When they got to my truck, it was eight, and when Thresh got me my window, it was eight. Thresh isn't one of them."

"Were you?"

"No." Thresh says. "What I said is true. Well…" he trails off. "I didn't know it was her at first. It didn't matter who it was. I knew what they were going to do to her because I hear the guy call wasn't till I got to the window and she looked at me and I saw her eyes and her hair that I knew. That's when I knew I would die if it came down to it."

But you guys aren't friends." I the cop says.

"No but Peeta's a god guy. He really, really loves her. If she died, that would make all my classes so depressing. He's in all my classes and all he talks about is her. Honestly, today is the first time I've never heard something not about her come out of his mouth."

"Is that true." The cop asks Peeta. His eyes flick to me.

"Yeah…" he admits.

The officer nods. "Now." He looks at me. "This is the ast fault I see in this story." He says. "you've never met him. Why did you go with him?"

I actually start laughing. "Are you fucking kidding me?" He raises his eyebrows. "It's not like I had anything to lose! The gang was going to rape me repeatedly and kill me. The worst he could do was kill me! If there was a slight chance he wasn't going to, I was going to take it. I didn't have anything to lose."

"That makes sense." He says. "I'm going to report this. We'll keep you updated."


	21. Chapter 21

**So I think that I'm going to skip the college graduation and then I think this will be the end of this story and then I'll do a sequel.**

I'm scared.

Fuck, I'm so scared I could cry.

It's college graduation today.

Hell, I thought I was scared for high school graduation, but now its college graduation. I'm done with school forever after this. This is the real start of my life.

All of us spoke about what we're going to down with the apartment.

I hate the decision just about everyone else does.

All I've wanted is to move to Breckenridge, Colorado. Madge, Johanna and Annie are coming with me.

We're going to break up with our boyfriends, except for Johanna and Reed because Reed is coming with us. As a matter of fact, today is our last day in a relationship. It's just awkward because we know what's going on.

My leg is bouncing up and down and I'm staring at my hands. I'm not paying attention. I'm almost positive I'm going to throw up.

They asked me to be valedictorian because I'm the highest level in all the classes, but I declined. There was a whole argument on it but I won.

Reed hits my arm and my head snaps up. "They called you." He says.

"Why did?" I whisper.

"Go!" he smiles. I get up and almost trip but I catch myself with a chair and rush down the stairs. They hand me my paper and move that tassel and shake my hands and hug me and all that jazz and then I get off the stage and my whole family, even distant relatives and Dad ad his side of the family are screaming and my friends and I see Madge sobbing her eyes out and her family is screaming too, and Peeta's family. It's crazy. Also, I've gotten myself pretty known out there because I'm kind of a partier so everyone knows me.

I was really depressed about that near rape experience but I got over it.

I sit back down and wait, screaming when my friends go, and when everyone is done, and then we throw our caps. Reed hugs me first.

"Shit! We're done! We're finally done!"

Everyone around us starts to leave the seats and move to the field, so he grabs my hand and pulls me down there too. Mom must have run as fast as she could. She's sobbing her eyes out to the point where she is stumbling because tears are making it hard for her see.

We hug her and then we're surrounded in family and we're all so happy that I even hug Dad and he even looks proud.

It sucks that by tomorrow morning this happiness with be gone and replaced with depression at the thought of never seeing Peeta's beautiful blue iris' again.

**I'm making a sequel next ;)**

**Love the ending? **

**I'll start accepting hate now**


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